The Gamblers in the FBI
by FictionWriter91
Summary: So who is Booth's sponsor anyway? The person who keeps him on track to not gamble? Bobby Manning, fellow agent and addict, that's who, and the two have developed an everlasting friendship. But when did it all start? And can Bobby help Booth tell Brennan how he truly feels about her? Can they keep one another from the clutches of gambling? Crossover with Sue Thomas FBEye.
1. Chapter 1

**I know it's a crossover, but I had this brilliant idea and couldn't help but write it. I find that crossovers don't get much attention when posted in their own category, and I really want people to read it. I hope you enjoy it...**

 **August 2004**

It all started with one simple statement.

"Hi. I'm Seeley Booth, and I have a gambling addiction." Bobby Manning's head jolted up, surprised. Booth? Seeley Booth? Fellow FBI agent Seeley Booth? He came back? The others murmured their greeting to Booth before it went quiet again. Bobby craned his ears to listen.

"I know I should have taken this program seriously long before this," Booth began. "But for the longest time I denied I even had a problem. Until today, I used gambling as a way to cope with my memories of war. After today, I am going to stop. That's...that's all really." The audience clapped when Booth stepped down. Bobby watched as he made his way back to his seat. He could easily sense the guy was nervous as hell. He made a mental note to talk to him once the meeting was over. The rest of the group went up to speak, and suddenly it was Bobby's turn himself. He rose, feeling confident. He'd been coming here for a few years now. This was not new to him.

"Hello. Bobby. Gambling Addict," he started.

"Hi, Bobby," the others chorused. He looked to see Booth staring at him in shock. He didn't let it bother him.

"Good week this week," Bobby said. "We caught another bad guy. That's all I'm saying about that. I had one urge to gamble, but it was fleeting. I went to the shooting range instead. Thanks!" He got down quickly. Once the meeting was over, he didn't have to approach Seeley. Seeley approached him.

"Agent Manning?" Booth asked, stunned. "I had no idea..."

"Yea. Keep it that way," Bobby replied.

"Oh I get it. I really do. We'd lose our jobs..." Booth trailed off.

"So. You came back, huh?" Bobby prodded. He was curious. He had heard lots of good things about Booth throughout the years, but they worked different departments and didn't cross paths very much.

"Yea. I...I figured it was time to take this thing seriously," Booth nodded. He didn't mention the fact that it had been because of a woman, a woman who he found himself to be desperately attracted to and possibly in love with, but his feelings were not reciprocated.

"Wanna grab a cuppa?" Bobby asked. Booth felt unsure. This was all still so new to him, and he didn't know if he was ready to talk about it yet, but Bobby was a great guy, or so he had heard. Booth had almost been placed with Bobby's team, but then they decided they wanted him upstairs instead.

"Okay," Booth agreed, not really sure what he was doing. He was following his gut. They ended up at some quaint little coffee shop on a quiet street. As they talked, Booth discovered he really liked Bobby and knew that if anyone was going to keep him on the straight and narrow, it would be him.

"So what really made you come to the meeting tonight?" Bobby asked suddenly. Booth froze. The question had come out of left field, and he didn't know how to answer it.

"Like I said," Booth replied. "I knew I needed to stop using gambling as a coping mechanism."

"Besides that," Bobby said. "I know there's something else to it. It's all over your face."

"Nope," Booth lied.

"Come on, mate," Bobby said. "If you're gonna start a new life without gambling, you gotta be honest with yourself and others. You'll only fall back into it if you don't."

"Hrmph," Booth grumbled. Brennan's eyes flashed through his mind quickly.

"It's a sheila isn't it?" Bobby asked, eyes twinkling.

"A...what?" Booth asked, confused.

"A woman. What's her name?" Bobby watched as Booth squirmed in his seat before giving in.

"Dr. Temperance Brennan," Booth finally spit out.

"There you go. Doesn't that feel better?"

"Not really," Booth shook his head.

"So tell me how she influenced you into coming to this meeting tonight," Bobby urged.

"We...we had a case together. We solved a murder, and...and there was this...attraction between us. When I was with her, I didn't want to gamble. I had no urges at all. It got me thinking, so I came here," Booth finished.

"You want to smarten up for her," Bobby noted. "You want to show her that you are capable of conquering an addiction."

"Uhhh," Booth trailed off. Did he? Wasn't that his intention? To make Brennan see that he was not a complete loser?

"Is she or is she not the main reason you came tonight?" Bobby pressed.

"She is," Booth answered.

"Does she know?"

"That I have a problem? Yes. I told her," Booth nodded. "I wanted to be honest with her right away."

"Hmm," Bobby mused. That was interesting. "Where is she now?"

"She left. We...we had a fight. She hit me. She doesn't want to ever see me again," Booth sighed. It had all been so stupid. They had gotten drunk on tequila so he could fire her, and they made the decision to have sex before Brennan changed her mind and took off in that cab, waving to him as it drove away. But their kiss...it had been so powerful. Booth couldn't stop thinking about it.

"So it's over?" Bobby asked.

"Yea," Booth replied sadly.

"But you still want to stop gambling," Bobby noted.

"I do," Booth agreed. They looked at each other.

"You really care about this doctor," Bobby said, tilting his head.

"I...I think I do, yea," Booth bobbed his head. "But it's over. She hates me. There's no going back."

"That's what you think," Bobby said.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you believe in fate?" Bobby asked.

"Yes."

"Then if you're meant to be with this woman, you will be," Bobby said simply. Booth thought about it. Bobby was right. It was fate that he and Brennan were brought together. Booth knew from the moment he met her that she was the one.

"Do you sponsor other addicts?" Booth asked Bobby. "Cos I think I'm gonna need one."

"Absolutely," Bobby replied. He scribbled down his number and handed it to Booth.

"Thanks," Booth grinned.

"See you around then?" Bobby asked, getting up to leave.

"Yea." Booth watched Bobby pay for their coffees and walk out the door. He sat there for a long time thinking over everything that had happened to him in the last week. He needed to find a way to talk to Brennan again. Their story was not finished, whether she thought it was or not.

* * *

 **A few months later**

Bobby was talking with Tara Williams, his coworker, when his phone buzzed. He checked it, seeing that it was Booth.

"I'll catch up with you later," Bobby said to her as he left. He answered his phone.

"Bobby?" Booth's voice came to his ears.

"Yea, mate. What's up?"

"I...I'm sitting here outside the pool hall. I really, really want to go in there," Booth said. Bobby tensed up. This wasn't his first desperate call from Booth, yet it was still unnerving.

"What's happened?" Bobby asked.

"I...I shot someone today," Booth replied. "It was self-defense, but he died. I really...I just can't focus..."

"Take a deep breath," Bobby instructed. "Think about the consequences."

"I know. I'll lose all progress I've made," Booth said. "It's not worth the thrill. It will only hurt me in the end." This was their mantra that they had come up with to help Booth stay sober from gambling.

"So what are you gonna do instead?" Bobby pressed.

"I'm gonna go home. I'm gonna forgive myself, and I'm gonna do something fun that counteracts my urge to gamble," Booth finished.

"You need to meet?" Bobby asked.

"Yes," Booth said instantly. As much as he believed he could handle this urge himself, he needed a friend's support.

"Coffee place. 10 minutes," Bobby instructed. He hung up. His coworker and best friend, Jack Hudson, caught sight of him leaving.

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

"Sponsor crisis," Bobby answered. Jack just nodded. He was the only one who knew about Bobby's gambling addiction. He knew Bobby was sponsoring someone else, but he didn't know who.

"I'll cover for ya," Jack said as Bobby took off.

"Thanks, mate," Bobby called over his shoulder. He arrived at the coffee shop within the ten minute time frame. Booth was already there.

"Thanks for coming," Booth said. "This has been so hard."

"I get it. How can I help?"

"Just...talk to me. I dunno. Tell me something I don't know," Booth laughed.

"Hmmm. All right. Darcy wants me to go to the opera with her tonight, but I hate opera," Bobby said. "What should I do?"

"Oohh tough one," Booth nodded. "Go?"

"I knew you'd say that," Bobby laughed. "I guess like any man I have to suck it up and do the things you don't want to do for your woman."

"How did you meet Darcy?"

"She was a reporter on one of my cases. She drove me insane, but then it all just kind of...happened," Bobby replied, smiling to himself.

"She sounds great," Booth said.

"She is. You should come have dinner with us sometime," Bobby suggested.

"Okay," Booth agreed. Aside from Parker, his son, he didn't really have much of a social life. They talked for a while longer, and Booth began to feel under control again.

"I think you're good to go," Bobby noted, seeing the change.

"Yea. Thanks, Bobby. I really owe you my life," Booth responded.

"Nah. Don't worry about it," Bobby grinned. "Take care of yourself." He noticed Booth hadn't brought up Dr. Brennan this time. He wondered why.

* * *

 **Months Later Still**

"You went on a date with Tara?" Booth asked. "Really?"

"Yea," Bobby nodded.

"And you kissed?"

"Yea."

"But...you're not dating?" Booth said.

"No."

"I'm lost," Booth said.

"She's...it's complicated," Bobby said.

"How is it complicated?" Booth demanded. "Do you like her?"

"Yea."

"Then why aren't you asking her out?"

"Because. It was a rebound date. I don't want to hurt her. I'm still upset about Darcy..." Bobby trailed off.

"Yea but you've always liked Tara, right?" Booth asked.

"Well...yea."

"You make no sense at all," Booth laughed.

"I was gonna talk to her about it," Bobby said, "but Stanley showed up."

"Who's Stanley?"

"The guy she was dating before."

"So you just bowed out?" Booth asked.

"Pretty much."

"You're crazy, man," Booth chastised him. "You need to talk to her."

"I'll talk to her when you talk to Dr. Brennan," Bobby reiterated.

"Well played, Manning," Booth said, shaking his head. Bobby grinned. Booth's phone rang then, and he looked at the screen.

"Case?" Bobby asked.

"Yea. Raincheck?"

"You got it."

"Cheers," Booth said, plopping his change on the table. Then he was gone. Bobby sat there thinking about what Booth had said about Tara. Maybe his friend was right.

* * *

 **September 2005**

"I'm going to intervene at the airport," Booth was saying. "I've got it all planned out. One of my guys scoops her and then I swoop in and save her." He was eager to tell Bobby about this. Their friendship had deepened over the past year, and Booth knew he could tell Bobby anything.

"She is not going to like that at all," Bobby winced.

"Why not? It's heroic."

"It's stupid," Bobby laughed. "She'll be even more pissed at you than last time."

"It's been over a year," Booth countered. "She can't still hate me."

"I hope you're right," Bobby sighed. Booth looked at his watch.

"I gotta go if this is gonna happen," Booth said.

"Good luck," Bobby called after him. He felt a little worried for Booth. He knew how much this meeting meant to Booth. He knew how badly Booth wanted to kickstart his relationship with Dr. Brennan again. Booth had missed her terribly, Bobby knew, and he only hoped that this woman wouldn't reject Booth after all this. Bobby leaned back in his chair. All he could do now was wait.

* * *

 **Later**

"She agreed to work with me again!" Booth said excitedly to Bobby over the phone.

"How much arm twisting did you have to do?" Bobby asked.

"Erm, not a lot. Not really," Booth replied. It had taken a bit of convincing. She had even jumped out of his car and started walking away before he caught up to her and changed her mind. He didn't mention this to Bobby.

"So, she was receptive of you?" Bobby asked, bringing Booth back out of his thoughts.

"Yea. Sort of. You were right, she did not like my rescue attempt," Booth laughed a little.

"I told you," Bobby tsked.

"It was worth a shot," Booth huffed. His partner didn't think so. He had been royally embarrassed by Brennan's self-defense tactics at the airport.

"So what happens now?" Bobby asked.

"We work this case," Booth replied.

"And what about Dr. Brennan?"

"That...that's not gonna happen," Booth admitted.

"Why not?"

"I just don't think it's a good idea to bring that up right now. We need to re-establish a professional relationship before we broach the subject of us," Booth explained.

"All right," Bobby agreed. "Just be careful."

"I will."

"You have any urges?"

"Nope. None," Booth said emphatically.

"Good," Bobby cheered.

"I gotta go," Booth said. "Bones is waiting for me." They disconnected, and Bobby stared at his phone for a moment. He smiled. He felt like good things were going to happen for his friend. He saw Tara walk by with Stanley, and his heart twisted. If only things could go good for him.

 **Thoughts? *Chews nails anxiously***


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! So many lovely reviews! Thank you so much! I realize you may not know much about Bobby Manning, so this chapter is mostly about him and how he came to realize he was an addict himself. If you have yet to watch Sue Thomas FBEye, I encourage you to do so. It's such a good show. I still marvel at the similarities between Bobby and Booth (father issues, telling the girl they like how they feel about them, realizing themselves they're an addict, etc.), so I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **April 2003  
**

"We met your father today."

These words echoed around Bobby's brain as he stared at Jack Hudson and Sue Thomas, his colleagues.

"That's impossible. He's in Australia. Talked to him last week," Bobby said. His gut knew that wasn't the father they were referring to.

"Not that father," Sue said, right on target. "Your biological father." Bobby kept staring at both of them. The anger inside was building faster and faster. He turned on his heel and marched to Garrett's office with Jack and Sue in tow. Levi, Sue's hearing dog, padded along behind them. Once in Garrett's office and it was made clear why he was there, Bobby exploded.

"He's a thief! A con man! He has vast knowledge of explosives too, by the way," Bobby ranted. "Did I mention he's in jail right now? For not even half the things he's done!"

"Bobby," Garrett tried to say.

"No! You can't believe or trust a word he says! He's a liar!" Bobby shouted. The ringing silence after his words seemed to go on forever.

"That's why we checked out his information," Sue said quietly. Bobby turned to face her. He felt badly for yelling, not that she could hear it, but if anyone got his anger to the boiling point, it was his biological father.

"There was a heist," Jack began. "About a month ago. Three million of South African gold was taken."

"Kinsey's case," Bobby nodded.

"Mac claims he knows where the gold is. They couldn't put it in a bank, so they found a jeweler who is gonna turn it into cash for them," Jack finished.

"We talked to Kinsey," Garrett said. "He knows the jeweler and believes Mac is telling the truth."

"Mac got inside information that Hoffman is going to steal that gold," Jack added.

"Don't do it," Bobby said. "Don't trust him."

"He won't be working alone," Garrett said. "And he knows the consequences if he deviates from the plan. Bottom line, we want Simon Hoffman, and we're gonna use Mac to get him."

"Do what you gotta do," Bobby said, "but I want no part of it." Then he stormed out.

* * *

"We're not doing it," Jack explained later. He and Bobby were at a small cafe together.

"Why not?"

"Mac had some demands that we couldn't agree on," Jack shrugged.

"Like what?" Bobby pressed. He already knew what.

"He wanted your involvement, and we said no," Jack answered. It was quiet for a moment. "You wanna talk?"

"About what? How he took me fishing and to soccer games in between charming people out of their life savings and running from the cops?" Bobby snarled. Jack just looked at him. "Okay fine. Mum met him in Australia. He was already on the lamb I suppose. He knew a good woman when he saw one. On my sixth birthday, he went to get cake and ice cream, so me and seven of my mates are waiting, hungry as all get out. He never came back. No cake, no ice cream, no dad. He came back the next day only to pack his bags and leave. He never did say sorry, that wasn't his thing. Good thing too really, cos Mum met Pops, a real nice Aussie. We were better off."

"You never saw him again?" Jack prodded.

"I did. When I first started working for the FBI, Mac tracked me down. We hung out a few times. I really liked him. He was funny, charming. I got him a job with my friend. Next thing I knew, my friend was cleaned out and my Dad was gone. I lost a friend. You know what they say. Con me once, shame on you. Con me twice, shame on me."

"Well, you're better off, mate," Jack said, smiling. Bobby nodded, but he sat there thinking. Then he leaned forward.

"I really want to get Simon Hoffman," Bobby said.

"So do I," Jack agreed.

"You tell Garrett and Mac that I'm in," Bobby told him. Jack raised a brow in surprise. "Yea, that's right. I'm in."

* * *

Bobby rushed to the hospital as quickly as he could. Sue had alerted everyone that Jack had been hurried to the hospital. When they were all there, the doctor came and told them Jack had had a minor heart attack.

"At his age?" The question was legit. Jack was barely 30. The doctor explained it all to them, not that Bobby was paying much attention. He was anxious to see Jack and make sure his best friend was okay.

"What are you trying to do? Set the world's record for the youngest man to have a heart attack?" Bobby asked, standing over Jack.

"Thought I'd give it a whirl," Jack said wearily. They chatted for a bit before Jack asked what was going to happen with the undercover operation now that he was out.

"It goes as planned," Myles said. He was another colleague along with Lucy, Tara, and Dimitrius who were standing around the bed too. Bobby knew Jack felt bad, but it wasn't his fault.

"Enough business talk," Tara said. "Get some rest. We'll come back later." Bobby patted Jack's shoulder before leaving. It was up to him now to babysit his father at the house.

* * *

Big surprise. Mac had run away when all hell had broken loose. Bobby was smart, though. He knew it was coming, and he had prepared for it. So when his father walked in the hotel door, he was waiting. Mac was very surprised, but Bobby played it cool. Then his father surprised him.

"I want to change," Mac said. "I do. And if I run again, I lose you." Bobby didn't know what to say to this. Mac gestured to the door, indicating it was time to go. The days after, Bobby kept thinking about this altercation. His father had willingly gone back to jail even though he had originally tried to flee. Something still bothered him, though, so he went to the jail. When his father entered the room, he surged ahead.

"Let me get one thing straight," Bobby said. "I am not like you. If I was, I wouldn't be here."

"I'm glad you are," Mac said, smiling.

* * *

 **September 2005**

"Wow," Booth said. "So, you started a relationship with your father again?"

"Sort of," Bobby replied. "If Jack hadn't had his heart attack and Sue hadn't gone on about how life was short and you should maybe do things to make what you want happen, I'd have let him walk out of my life forever." He had just finished telling Booth the story of how his biological father came back into the picture. He wasn't even sure how it came up. Booth was chewing on his cheek absently.

"I've never told anyone this," Booth said. "But, my Dad was an alcoholic."

"That must have been tough," Bobby nodded. He waited for Booth to say more, but it didn't come.

"It was," was all Booth said. He had come so close to sharing the things his father had done to him and his brother Jared over the years, but he just couldn't do it. In a way, he was envious that Bobby had reconnected with his father.

"My biological father died," Bobby informed Booth as if he sensed this. "That's the thing when you're a con man, it gets you killed."

"I'm sorry," Booth said, shocked.

"Me too," Bobby nodded. "We were starting to call each other son and father again." The Australian cleared his throat hard. Yes, he had hated his biological father for most of his life, and when things had started to get better between them, Mac had been ripped away. That seemed to be the way life went for Bobby these days. He was thinking about Tara.

"So Bones and I, we've got this case," Booth started. Bobby turned his attention to Booth again. He had had enough about thinking about the past.

* * *

"Hey, Jack," Bobby said into the phone.

"Hey, man. What's up?" Jack asked. Bobby could hear Levi barking in the background.

"I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Bobby asked. Jack and Sue had recently gotten married, much the team's delight. Those two had been skating around their feelings for years, and it finally all came together.

"Nope. Levi is just being overly excited tonight," Jack informed him. "Sue says hi."

"Hi back," Bobby said.

"So, what's going on?" Jack asked.

"I, uh, was just thinking about Mac," Bobby said. He was fiddling with a deck of cards.

"Oh. That's...rough," Jack said. He wasn't sure what else to say. Mac was a touchy subject with Bobby.

"Yea. I was telling a friend about how we reconnected. Not sure why really," Bobby said. He hadn't yet shared to Jack that Booth was a fellow gambler. Of course, Jack knew Bobby was a sponsor to someone, but he never pressed for information on who. Jack was the only one who knew Bobby was a gambling addict, and Bobby felt the same respect was owed to Booth.

"Do you want to meet up?" Jack asked.

"Naw. I'm good. I just wanted to see how things were going with you," Bobby said.

"They're good, but seriously, if you need to meet up..."

"I'm fine, Jack," Bobby cut him off. "I'm not going to gamble."

"Okay. As long as you're sure..."

"I'm positive. I made that mistake once before and promised I wouldn't again, remember?" Bobby asked.

"I remember," Jack sighed.

"Have a great night, okay?"

"All right."

They hung up, and Bobby sat there in his living room wondering if he had just lied to his best friend.

* * *

 **Booth**

He couldn't stop thinking about Bobby's story. It had made him start thinking about his own father, but he didn't think he could forgive his father just yet.

"Booth?" Brennan asked, cutting into his thoughts. "Are you listening to me?"

"Yep. Uh huh," he nodded. "The boy didn't commit suicide. I got it."

"Are you taking anything I say seriously right now?" Brennan asked, concerned.

"I am! Totally. I was just...sidetracked is all," Booth said.

"Well get un-sidetracked," she ordered. She started in on her facts again. Booth couldn't stop staring at her. He really cared for this woman. He wished he was brave enough to voice that to her. His mind wandered again.

"Booth!"

"Sorry, I gotta go. I just..." Booth trailed off. Call it a feeling, but he knew.

* * *

"Bobby," Booth said, coming into the horse track lobby. Bobby was standing there watching the people place their bets. He turned at Booth's voice.

"How did you know?" Bobby asked.

"I'm a fellow addict, remember? I know," Booth said, leaning against the wall beside him.

"I wasn't gonna do it," Bobby said.

"I know. Watching is still gambling vicariously, though," Booth warned.

"I know. I was the one who told you that," Bobby laughed.

"Wanna go talk?" Booth asked.

"Yea. I think that's probably the best thing for me right now," Bobby agreed. The thoughts of Mac were eating him alive. He needed to talk about them. He couldn't believe he had almost succumbed. He thought he had learned from before.

"Okay," Booth said, when they sat down at their favorite cafe. "Talk."

"I miss him, all right?" Bobby started. "I never thought I'd miss my con man father, but I do. He was one hell of a card player..."

"Is that where you started gambling?"

"No. It was from a misspent youth," Bobby corrected him.

"Obviously horse tracks were a favorite," Booth nodded.

"Poker too. I was a good card player," Bobby said. He thought about how it had all almost ended in February of 2004 before he'd even met Booth. His career, Darcy, Jack...they had all been so close to having been lost, but in the end, he had come to his senses, that he couldn't handle gambling at all. He had started attending meetings after that. And here he was today.

"I wanna hear it," Booth said, sensing there was more.

"How many stories about me can you handle in one day?" Bobby asked, laughing.

"Just tell me. Obviously you hit rock bottom at one point, like me. I want to hear it," Booth urged. "It might act as a reminder to help you get through tonight."

"All right," Bobby agreed. "If you wanna hear it. I'll tell you. It all started with us trying to catch Marino..."

* * *

 **February 2004**

Being undercover was his idea, much to Jack's protest. Being undercover is what got him in trouble to start with. Bobby didn't like to lose at poker, and playing the losing guy was starting to get to him, even if it was for a case and not for real. He was damn good at this game. He knew he was. Then he couldn't take being the loser anymore, so he went to the tracks instead. The glory of winning and the feeling of ecstasy that came with it was too much for him, not that he'd admit it. Jack had been right, not that he'd allow that thought to linger for long. He recalled their conversation before, when he had proposed the idea of playing the loser at poker to get Marino.

"You can't do this," Jack had said.

"I'm fine," Bobby had replied. "It's not a problem."

"Losing all your savings and almost your apartment was a big problem," Jack had pointed out. He was angry.

"That was years ago. Jack, I haven't thought of gambling in nine years," Bobby had told him. "I can handle this. I've got this."

Bobby stood there watching as his bets were being processed in Atlantic City. He had just gotten off the phone with Darcy, telling her he was stuck at work. He had been putting off their dates for a week now. He knew she was disappointed, but the fire was being fueled by the rush of winning, and Bobby couldn't stop it.

"Good luck, sir," the man said before going to park Bobby's car.

"Thanks," Bobby grinned. He sure did feel lucky.

* * *

He had lost it all. Bobby had driven home from Atlantic City feeling desolate, and the need to get it back was so powerful it almost choked him. First thing the next morning, he had gone into the office to get 10 grand for the game he was playing undercover. Somehow, it didn't even feel like he was undercover anymore. At the game, the other players noticed he was more abrupt and not as happy go lucky as before. His phone rang, and seeing that it was Jack, Bobby turned off his phone. He didn't need to hear the lecture right now. Right now, he wanted to win. When he came out after the game, he was shoved into the side of his car. Bobby reacted, reaching for his gun.

"Go ahead and shoot me!" Jack shouted, hitting him once more. "It would go along with stabbing me in the back!"

"Not sure what you're talking about, mate," Bobby said, bending for his keys. He knew exactly what Jack was talking about.

"That's a load of crap and you know it," Jack snapped. "Let me run a hypothetical scenario by you, and you tell me what you think. I've got a buddy who has a gambling problem, and he goes undercover, gets hooked on the action again and spends all night in a casino and loses so much money that he has to max out all his personal credit cards, making him use his bureau issued credit card to get gas so he can come home. Bit of an oversight on his part, but hey, who's thinking straight after a hard night of gambling, right? How am I doing so far?!" Bobby turned away from him, but Jack shoved him again.

"You gotta tell me what you were doing here tonight when you already made it to the triple A game to get a shot at seeing Marino," Jack demanded.

"I was playing for myself," Bobby answered. "I made a mistake."

"Oh, Bobby," Jack said. The anger was still there, but he felt sorry for his friend now. "Let me guess, you lost it all?"

"No. I won," Bobby said, tossing the cash at Jack. "I knew I would. I can pay off all my debts and pay the bureau back with interest."

"Guess your plan worked out then," Jack said.

"No, it didn't. I thought I could handle it, Jack, I believed I could."

"You need to take yourself off this case," Jack ordered.

"No. We are this close to getting Marino," Bobby argued. "I'm done with gambling for myself. It's over. I am the only one who can get into the big game!"

"No. You need to get out now. We will get Marino another way. Getting Marino is not worth losing you," Jack said. He turned to go, and Bobby stood there feeling horrible for letting down his best friend.

* * *

 **September 2005**

"And that's when you realized you really did have a problem," Booth said when Bobby finished.

"Yea. I went to Gambler's Anonymous the next night. I've been going ever since. When I first saw you at a meeting, I knew you were in denial that you had a problem until that night in August," Bobby said. "I recognized myself in you."

"We are quite a pair, aren't we?" Booth asked, chuckling.

"We are," Bobby agreed. **  
**

"So what now?" Booth asked.

"Tell me about your case," Bobby said. "I feel like I've been talking about myself for too long. Tell me what crazy things the squints have been up to." So Booth did. Sitting there talking to Bobby, Booth realized how vulnerable Bobby was despite how strong he appeared to be. They really did need each other, so Booth did his best to be there, just like Bobby was there for him. **  
**

**Seasons Greetings! Have a lovely time celebrating Christmas tomorrow (if you do). If you'd like me to continue, let me know. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Since you guys think I should continue, I decided to. I keep getting more ideas, and I hope you like them. I'm trying to incorporate an even mix of storytelling of the two, but I apologize if there's more about one than the other**

 **November 2005**

Booth was staring into space and tapping his fingers anxiously on the table. This night was not going well at all. He ended up doing a favor for some dumb lawyer, and now, now everything was going to change. He could feel it. The squint squad was hard at work in the lab trying to race a clock, and he was sitting here waiting for some advice.

"Hey," Bobby said, sitting down across from him. "You called?"

"Yea. Um, I've got a problem," Booth started.

"We both do," Bobby joked. Then, seeing Booth wasn't in the joking mood, he sobered up. "Sorry, mate. What's up?"

"Howard Epps," Booth replied. Bobby's face darkened.

"I heard about that case. Real creep. What about him?" Bobby prodded.

"His lawyer got us to look into his case. She thinks he's innocent," Booth went on.

"Isn't the man on death row?" Bobby asked, surprised.

"He is. We've got less than 2 hours to figure out if he did it or not," Booth finished.

"So why are we here?"

"Because I'm having doubts," Booth said.

"Oh. That's never good for a death row case," Bobby winced.

"Bones, she said there's a tyre iron in a marsh. They're out looking for it now," Booth added.

"And you're not with them?" Bobby asked.

"I'm heading over there now. I just wanted to talk to you first," Booth replied.

"It will work out one way or another, Booth," Bobby reassured him. "Call me when it's over."

"Thanks," Booth said, getting up and leaving.

 **At the marsh**

"What the hell is this?" Booth asked, looking down at the skeletons.

"Female. Between ages 17 and 25. Blunt force trauma to the skull," Brennan said, examining it. She looked at the other one. "Also female. Same age frame. Same injury."

"Doesn't fit with Ross. His would have been a panicked murder, not a serial one," Booth said, thinking.

"These victims have been dead at least five years, possibly seven," Brennan said, looking up at Booth. His heart sank.

"It was Epps. He killed April. Then he took her back to the park," Booth said, rubbing his face hard.

"But why?" Brennan asked, confused.

"Because he saw her and Ross arguing. He was trying to frame Ross," Booth explained. "We just got played."

"What do you mean?" Brennan asked.

"Because either way his execution gets stayed if we either find Ross or we find these bodies..."

"Because their murders need to be investigated," Brennan nodded. "Booth, they deserve to be heard. They deserve to have their story told. It's what we do..."

"I know," Booth cut her off. He felt sick to his stomach. He pulled out his phone. "Amy? Yea, you got your stay of execution, but you're not gonna like it..."

 **Later**

Booth could still see Epps in his mind at the jail, thanking him for saving his life. He had already thrown up once, and Sid's duck meal didn't taste so hot coming back out. Brennan had gone home to sleep. Booth felt bad keeping her up all weekend for nothing. He was wandering aimlessly until he came across the pool hall. He fidgeted with the seam of his pants pocket. It'd be so easy to just go in there and play away his anger and misery. His phone rang then, making him jump.

"Booth," he said.

"Hey," Bobby's voice entered his ears. "How did it go?"

"Terrible," Booth answered.

"Coffee?"

"Coffee."

 **May 2003**

"I have a case for you," Sue said to Jack.

"Heads up!" Bobby shouted, the rubber chicken flying over to Myles. The others were laughing and ribbing Jack.

"What's going on?" Sue asked.

"Our dear pal, Jack, was in a chase with a bad guy, and he cleared the fence only to land on the prize rooster on the other side," Dimitrius explained, laughing.

"The rooster didn't make it," Myles finished, pretending to be sad.

"And all the hens have never been the same ever since," Bobby added. "They're all so traumatized."

"Okay, just shut up already," Jack growled. "This whole thing is ridiculous."

"Why not just buy her a new rooster?" Sue asked.

"Oh believe me, I tried that," Jack answered. "So, what's up?"

"Do you know of the Hunter? The serial killer who was killing cabbies over 20 years ago?" Sue asked. Myles stopped what he was doing to listen as well.

"Yea," Jack nodded.

"I am actually the expert on that case," Myles said. "I researched it for extra credit. What do you want to know?"

"Well, the arresting officer's daughter came to see me. She said he told her that the man he arrested, Jerome Skoggins, was innocent, that he put away the wrong serial killer," Sue explained.

"How about you and Myles look after this one?" Jack suggested. "I have to go see a woman about a chicken."

 **November 2005**

"Was he innocent?" Booth asked, interrupting Bobby.

"I really wanted to tell you how we caught the real killer," Bobby sighed. He and Myles had pretended to be cabbies, and Myles had taken down the Hunter with the guy's own suitcase. It had been epic.

"So he was?" Booth interjected.

"Yea, but that's the thing, you never know for sure. That cop was certain he had the right guy up until he was dying. Then he had doubts," Bobby explained.

"This isn't the same, Bobby," Booth said. "Epps was on death row. Your guy was just in prison with no chances of that."

"Yea, but he still was in there for over 20 years," Bobby argued. "What I'm trying to say is, it's normal to have doubts, and sometimes doubts are validated."

"My doubt was wrong though," Booth said quickly.

"But you still had to check it out," Bobby replied. "Booth, you had to know for sure, and now you know. If Sue and Myles hadn't bothered to look into Jerome's case, he would have been left in prison, and the real Hunter would have continued to kill cabbies. You did your job, so don't feel bad about it."

"A part of me knows you're right," Booth sighed. "I just am struggling with it."

"You will. It's human nature," Bobby said. Booth didn't say anything for a moment. Then he remembered something.

"So, what happened with the whole chicken thing? Did Jack get sued?" Booth asked, starting to laugh.

"Oh that. Naw, he got our informant Howie to hide in the chicken coop and prove the hens were still laying. He did a DNA test on the egg and matched it to her hen, so she had to drop the lawsuit," Bobby laughed. "He still offered to buy her a new rooster though and write a letter of condolence to each hen." Booth burst into laughter with Bobby.

"Your friend sounds like a funny guy. I'd like to meet him sometime," Booth said.

"That can be arranged," Bobby smiled. "So, how are things with the Doctor?"

"Bones? Well, that's not happening, and I'm kind of seeing someone," Booth replied.

"You're what?!" Bobby asked. "I thought you were into Dr. Brennan?"

"I am! I just, really like this lawyer," Booth trailed off.

"Typical," Bobby snorted.

"Enough of my love life," Booth said. "What about you? Gone after Tara yet?"

"No, mate. She's happy with Stanley, I told you that," Bobby answered.

"And Darcy?"

"That ship has sailed," Bobby sighed.

"How did you two meet anyway?" Booth asked.

"Well," Bobby started.

 **December 2002**

"Bobby," Garrett said, coming into the bullpen. "Myles and Jack can handle whatever it is you were off to do. You are requested to have lunch with a reporter."

"Oh?" Bobby said, curious.

"Yes. Darcy D'Angelo. She wants to talk to you about the Santa Bandit case," Garrett explained.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Darcy D'Angelo? The story behind the story reporter? That Darcy D'Angelo?" Jack asked.

"I guess I can use my charms with this reporter," Bobby shrugged.

"Tread softly and use a big 'No Comment,'" Garrett said, walking away.

"Don't worry, boys," Bobby said, clapping both Myles and Jack's shoulders. "It's the accent. Gets them every time." Jack and Myles watched him walk away.

"She's gonna put him on a Barbie stick and roast him for lunch," Myles commented.

"Yup," Jack agreed.

 **Later**

Bobby checked his teeth in knife carefully. There was no chances of charming a girl if there was food stuck in them. He put it down just in time too.

"Agent Manning?" Darcy asked, coming up to the table. "Darcy D'Angelo. Thanks for meeting me." They shook hands.

"Please, call me Bobby," he said. She smiled. They sat down together.

"You're as lovely as your bus picture," Bobby said.

"I hate the bus picture," she replied.

"Why? It shows what a spunk you are," he said. She looked at him funny. "Spunk. It's Australian for attractive person."

"The accent, the smile, the odd Australian word here and there, I bet that usually works for you," she said, smiling. Bobby didn't comment. Then she proceeded to rip him apart. It went from him not confirming or denying new evidence to bringing up the fact that cameras watched citizens all over, violating their civil rights so the FBI could do their jobs to Bobby asking her if she'd rather them not do their jobs. Then she just smiled and said she had everything she needed and left him sitting there wondering just what the hell happened.

 **The Next Day**

"Hey, Tara," Bobby said. "I have a special side project for you."

"Sure," Tara agreed.

"I need you to look up past articles written by Darcy D'Angelo for me," he said.

"I can do that. I was wondering what to get you for Christmas," Tara smirked.

"Okay, Sue," Bobby said. "Let's go talk to this woman about her stolen credit card."

 **Later**

"Good, you're back," Jack said. "Listen to this. 'FBI Agent Manning believes that violating your civil liberties is his right..." Bobby snatched the article from Jack's hands, reading it.

"It...goes downhill from there," Myles said, pointing. Bobby continued scanning until he became frustrated and smacked it with his hand.

"She is unbelievable," he snapped. Jack tried to hide his facial expression and failed. "Well the bank robber is the bad guy!"

"Mmhmm," Myles said.

"Here he's stealing from people and soiling Santa's good name," Bobby finished.

"Nice job of handling her," Jack said. "I have no doubts she did find you irresistible."

"Well, it's the accent. Gets them every time," Myles added.

"Yea," Jack agreed.

"Garrett would like to see you," Myles said, leaning into Bobby's ear.

"I hate to interrupt," Lucy said, coming over. She noticed Bobby's glare to Myles. "But Santa just robbed another bank."

 **November 2005**

"Uh oh," Booth said, grinning. "I bet I know what happened next."

"Yea. We nabbed the wrong Santa, and then Darcy showed up with her camera crew and mocked me for doing my job poorly," Bobby sighed.

"Wow. I bet you were pissed," Booth laughed.

"I was," Bobby agreed. "I confronted her on her previous stories and how she wouldn't let facts stop her from a good story."

"Ouch."

"Yea. It still didn't end well. She was very good at twisting my words," Bobby laughed.

"So, how did you go from rivals to dating?" Booth asked.

"I met her one night after work and just talked with her. We discovered we both went into our careers with the mindset of making a difference. I showed her one of her older articles where she came across as an actual human being. I told her it was too bad that didn't exist anymore when she told me that person had been naive and idealistic and was gone."

"What did she say to that?"

"She didn't. She just left."

 **December 2002**

Tara whistled to get his attention.

"What?" Bobby said, stopping.

"Got something for you," she smiled, handing him an envelope with a ribbon on it.

"Aw, Tara. I feel bad. I didn't get you anything I didn't think we were exchanging," he said.

"It's not from me," Tara corrected. Then she paused. "Darn it. That would have been a great opportunity." She chuckled and left to catch the elevator with Lucy. Bobby smiled and opened the envelope. He pulled out an article by Darcy. At first he was waiting for more bad news, but the headline caught his attention.

"FBI Saves Christmas. Old Fashioned Values Live On in the Bureau." Bobby couldn't believe it. He grinned to himself. Maybe people could change after all. Then he got an idea.

 **That night**

Darcy opened her door, and he let out a very hearty "Ho, ho, ho." She started to laugh.

"Nice try, but I know it's you," she said, moving to pull down the beard. "Very funny, Harry." When she saw Bobby, she was stunned.

"Oh," she said. "Hi."

"Hey. Uh, I got your package and just thought that I'd...yea. Who's Harry?" Bobby asked.

"My editor," she replied.

"Oh, yea. Right," he said. "Well, I noticed that you had the perfect opportunity to take a shot at me, and you didn't do it. I'd say that's progress."

"Some might call it regression," she joked. They shared a smile.

"I know it's Christmas Eve, but are you doing anything? There's something I think you should experience," he said.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Tis the season for reason," he answered, leaning on the door frame.

 **November 2005**

"What did you go see?" Booth asked when Bobby paused, smiling to himself.

"We went to church," he answered.

"And then?"

"Well, we got to know each other better and then started dating," Bobby finished.

"Then it ended," Booth said.

"Yea. Well, all good things come to an end right? Anyhow, I have dinner with Jack, so I'll have to leave you for now. You gonna be all right or will I be finding you outside a pool hall later?"

"I'll be fine. My lawyer girlfriend is waiting for me," Booth said sheepishly.

"Big mistake on that, just saying," Bobby laughed.

"It's temporary," Booth shrugged it off. "See you." Bobby was still laughing when he went outside.

"Bobby?" He froze. He turned to see Darcy standing there with another blonde woman.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," she said.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were..." Bobby trailed off.

"I am. I'm just here for a story. I'm training Hannah here to be a reporter. She's our new intern," Darcy said. "Hannah, this is Bobby."

"Nice to meet you," Hannah said. She mouthed "wow" to Darcy discreetly. Darcy ignored her.

"How are you keeping?" Darcy asked.

"Great, thanks," Bobby said. "I, uh, have to be somewhere though."

"I'm sorry. Do you have time later?" Darcy asked.

"I'll let you know," Bobby answered. He left her standing there. He doubted he would call her. She had broken his heart by leaving, and he didn't want to risk getting hurt once more. The Hannah girl was cute though. Too bad Booth had missed her. Bobby thought they might have hit it off. He headed to Jack and Sue's place. He hoped Booth would indeed be all right that night. He would hate to see him relapse after all this time.

 **Booth**

He didn't go home to his lawyer girlfriend. He knew that wasn't going to last long anyhow. No, he was at home alone thinking about Brennan. He wasn't sure how he'd go about making his feelings to her known. He knew she wasn't one for love, commitment and relationships. He poured himself a drink and sat down, sipping it. He'd have to bide his time. Then he thought about Bobby, how he used to be with Darcy. He felt bad for his friend. He hoped Bobby would find another woman to fall in love with. Booth hummed to himself as he turned on the television. He had a pretty good feeling about it all.

 **Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**December 2005**

Bobby was fingering the invite in his hand. The corners were worn from the time spent fiddling with it. It still cut him to look at it.

 _We invite you to join Tara Jane Williams and Stanley Dean Abbott on May 17, 2006 for their holy matrimony..._

He sighed roughly. How could anyone watch the person they were in love with get married to someone else?

"Hey," Booth said, sliding into the chair across from him. "I don't have long. I gotta go see about body in a fallout shelter and take it to Bones. I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas though."

"Yea," Bobby nodded. "Merry Christmas."

"Is that it?" Booth asked. He knew about Tara's upcoming wedding. He saw how it tore up his friend.

"This is it," Bobby nodded.

"Stanley," Booth snorted. "Who names their kid after a tool?"

"Tools," Bobby replied, earning a guffaw from Booth in return.

"It'll be all right," Booth reassured him.

"How? What if your Bones got married to someone else? How would you feel?"

"One, Bones doesn't believe in marriage, so that will never happen, and two...well, that's it," Booth said.

"Humor me," Bobby urged.

"All right. Um, I wouldn't let her get married," Booth admitted. "Not without telling her how I felt at least. If she rejected me, then at least I tried."

"I should try, huh?" Bobby looked at him.

"I really think you should," Booth nodded.

"But now I'm messing with a marriage," Bobby pointed out.

"She ain't married yet," Booth commented. Bobby sucked his cheeks. His friend had a point, but it still didn't feel right. Booth slapped the table rhythmically and stood up.

"You get Parker?" Bobby asked.

"For part of Christmas day, yea," Booth replied. "I still gotta get him a present. Every year I get him the best one."

"That's gotta be hard to compete with each year," Bobby laughed.

"I figure it out," Booth shrugged. "Anyway, think about what I said. See ya later." He pointed at Bobby meaningfully as he went out the door. Bobby chuckled to himself. Then he sobered up. What was he going to do about Tara?

 **May 2005**

 **Bobby**

"I've got a life here, a job, friends..." Bobby trailed off. He knew he was upsetting her by not telling her what she wanted to hear, that he'd go with her.  
"Then I guess you've made your decision," Darcy said. "Now I have to make mine." Her eyes filled with tears, and he felt his throat tighten, but there was nothing left to say.

...

"Tara," Bobby said. It was the next day at the office. He wasn't sure what made him do it, but he did. She was at Jack's desk discussing something. "I understand you like the band Mojo Gogo, right?" Jack snorted.

"I happen to know she's a card carrying member of their fan club," he teased.

"I don't actually have a card..." Tara trailed off.

"How would you like to see the band perform tonight up an personal?" Bobby asked.

"I'd love to!" Tara replied excitedly. Then she frowned. "What's the catch?"

"You have to go with me," he answered.

"Ooohh pretty big catch," Jack grimaced, but his eyes were twinkling.

"They're performing at this event I have to go to," Bobby went on, ignoring Jack. "I thought I'd take someone who actually enjoyed listening to them. I also thought it would save you from staying home another night alone thinking about New York Stanley."

"I appreciate the offer," Tara said. "But what about Darcy?"

"Plans changed," Bobby said. Then he thought, why not? "We, uh, broke up." He couldn't read her expression, but there was surprise there.

"Her idea or yours?" Jack asked, concerned. Bobby couldn't think of how to respond.

"Bobby, I'm sorry," Tara said.

"Yea so am I," he nodded. "And so is she. I still have to go to this thing, though, so pick you up at seven?"

"Sure," she agreed.

"Great," he said, knocking on Jack's desk before walking away. Tara looked at Jack, who shrugged in return, unsure of what to tell her.

...

When Bobby picked her up, he was blown away. She was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Whoa," he said, staring at her.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," she said, smiling.

"Thanks for doing this," he told her.

"Oh, my pleasure," she grinned. "Should we go?"

"Yea. Wouldn't want to be late for Mojo Gogo," he teased.

...

The event was over, and they were waiting for the valet to bring the car around when she noticed he was somewhere else.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Hm? Yea. I'm fine," he grinned.

"Nothing's bothering you?" She raised a brow.

"No, why?" he asked.

"Well I don't know, but I can't help think that you're thinking it should have been Darcy here with you tonight," Tara said. Bobby exhaled.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked. "And I want your honest opinion."

"Of course," she nodded.

"Is there something wrong with me? Like I can't commit?"

"Well maybe it's not that you can't commit maybe you're just not ready to," she offered. "And there's nothing wrong with you. You're smart, you're funny..." she paused, blushing before carrying on. "You're handsome, kind, you have that adorable accent...you're a great guy, and any woman would be lucky to have you." She shrugged and smiled at him. He grinned back.

"Seeing how you're a great just of character, someone who's clever and sensitive, and I might add, very beautiful, any man would consider himself lucky to be with you." He stood there looking at her, and she was looking at him, but the moment was spoiled by the valet bringing their car and getting out.

"I think your car's here," Tara said, looking at it.

"Hm," Bobby replied. He escorted her to it and let her in before getting into the driver's side. They chatted all the way back to her place. When they arrived, they exited the car in stitches from laughing.

"It makes no sense!" Bobby said.

"Sure it does!" Tara exclaimed.

"What kind of lyrics are Hamsters in My Hat?" Bobby argued.

"It's a metaphor," she told him.

"For?" he challenged.

"Something for that if I explained it, it would be too deep for you to understand," she laughed.

"You see? You don't understand it either!" he cried, laughing.

"Okay, okay! It's a stupid lyric," she caved.

"Ah!" he started.

"But!" she cut him off. "It has a nice beat. So you can dance to it." She started imitating dance moves, making Bobby laugh even harder. She was giggling so much she could barely focus on what she was doing. Then they were at her front door.

"So," he said.

"So," she echoed. "I had a great time."

"Yea so did I," he agreed. She smiled at him. "Yea, maybe we should do this again sometime."

"Yea," she said. "Maybe we should." They stood there staring into one another's eyes. The tension built up quickly. Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned in and kissed her. She looked dazed when they pulled apart.

"Uh, so," she started.

"So, uh," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Y-yea," she nodded. She walked up the last steps and turned to wave at him before going inside. He stood there wondering what exactly he had just done before getting into his car and driving away into the night.

...

Things were awkward between him and Tara at work the next day. Bobby wasn't sure how to approach her about it, but she always seemed to be off doing something whenever it was just the two of them left in the bull pen. It made things difficult. At the end of the day, he caught her in the hall. He couldn't help but notice she tried to avoid him.

"Hey, Tara!" he called. She took one more step before jerking to a stop and turning around.

"Oh, hey," she said. She proceeded to fill him in about the case. He went along with it until they both paused.

"I think we need to talk," he said.

"Okay. About what?"

"How about for starters the fact that we're avoiding each other," he said, stepping closer.

"I know," she said, giving a crooked smile. "You're right. We should talk." They went out to get coffee and a walk. After a few moments of silence, Bobby started.

"About what happened..." he trailed off.

"You're feeling guilty and like it was the wrong thing to do," she finished.

"That's not what I was going to say," he interrupted. She stopped walking, making him jerk back.

"You weren't?" she asked.

"No. Why, is that the way you feel?" he questioned.

"No," she said. "I mean...I don't know. Why don't you keep talking, and I won't interrupt."

"What I wanted to say was that it made me realize something...well, a lot of things actually. You're an amazing woman, and I noticed all these things about you that I'd never noticed before, and I realized that there maybe could be something there between us." He paused for a moment, watching her face. He couldn't read it. "But I also realized that I'm in love with Darcy." She looked shocked then.

"My kiss had that effect on you, huh?" she asked.

"Pretty powerful stuff," he said, tilting his head at her. She didn't know where to look now. "I'm sorry," he added.

"Don't be," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not. I mean, not that I wasn't attracted to you too. I am. I was," she corrected. "And I was feeling a little guilty because I have someone who's special to me too. Stanley. And I know you and Darcy are gonna be great together. I'm just glad I could be there to drive you to the commitment you hadn't been able to make...to someone else. I have that effect on men." She looked at him and grinned. He grinned back.

"Are we okay?" he asked.

"Yea," she nodded. "We're great. In that work together, have great respect for each other kind of way." She smiled at him again, and he hugged her tightly. He was glad he hadn't ruined their friendship. Now he needed to talk to Darcy.

...

He had brought her flowers. He had told her he was going to L.A. with her, but she broke his heart and said she needed to go alone in order for there to even be a relationship one day. She kissed him goodbye and left him standing there feeling like his entire world was crashing around him. When he saw Tara the next day, it was even harder to see her.

"Hey," she called to him.

"Hey yourself," he said.

"So, did you talk with Darcy?" she asked.

"Yup," he nodded.

"And?" she asked encouragingly.

"Let's just say L.A. won't be needing my presence anytime soon," he said. Tara was shocked. He tapped his mug in his hand before opening his mouth again.

"Um," he started.

"Surprise," Stanley said, coming up behind Tara.

"Stanley!" she exclaimed. "Hi!"

"Hey, Stan the man," Bobby said, his heart sinking.

"My plane got in early so I thought I'd drop by," he said, giving Tara a quick kiss. Bobby felt his insides clench.

"Welcome back," he said. He felt stupid, standing there witnessing this whole thing. "How was the big apple?"

"More big than apple," Stanley replied. "But very productive."

"That's great, that's great, and it's great that you're back," he said. He was lying. It wasn't great at all. He noticed Tara kept looking from him to Stanley with an unsure expression.

"It's great," Tara echoed. She looked at Bobby again.

"I thought maybe I could take you to dinner," Stanley said.

"S-sure," she stuttered. "Of course." Stanley noticed Bobby was still standing there.

"Would you like to join us?" he asked.

"Oh, no. Thanks," Bobby answered.

"So, are you ready?" Stanley asked Tara.

"Oh," she said, going to get her coat. Bobby waved at Stanley and headed back to his desk. Tara looked back at him three times as she walked out with Stanley, and even though he wanted to call out to her, tell her he'd been an idiot and wanted to try whatever it was that was between them, he let it go.

 **December 2005**

 **Booth**

"What the hell did you do?!" Booth shouted. Zack and Hodgins were standing there wrapped in towels and wet. The doors had sealed, and no one was going anywhere.

"I cut into the bone, and something came out of it that set off the alarm," Zack answered logically. Booth growled in frustration.

"I can see that," he barked.

"Weren't you wearing your masks?" Brennan asked.

"I was," Zack said, looking pointedly at Hodgins.

"I may have been drinking eggnog," Hodgins admitted.

"Hodgins!" Angela shouted. So much for their office Christmas party.

...

"No one is going anywhere for three days," the man dressed as Santa said.

"That's it, I'm shooting both of you," Booth snapped, addressing Hodgins and Zack.

"Settle down, Agent Booth," Dr. Goodman said. "We all had plans for Christmas." Booth wanted to scream at all of them. They didn't get it. He only got Parker for half the day, and Rebecca was being gracious about that as it was. He kept this to himself. They didn't know about Parker yet, and he wasn't ready to share. He stormed to a different room and yanked out his phone.

"Miss me already?" Bobby asked, laughing.

"I'm stuck here," Booth said.

"What?"

"I'm stuck in this damn lab. Zack caused the alarm to go off...Bobby, I'm not getting out of here until after Christmas," Booth finished. He quickly explained about what happened. He pinched his nose, trying not to get upset.

"That is a bad hand," Bobby said. "Sorry, bad habit." They had taken to using gambling references as jokes with each other lately.

"What am I gonna do?! Rebecca will take away privileges," Booth said.

"No way. It's not your fault. She'd be even madder if you exposed Parker to whatever it is you've inhaled."

"I didn't inhale it. Stupid Hodgins did and then breathed it on all of us," Booth snapped.

"All right, all right. Just, keep calm, all right? Let me see what I can do," Bobby said. They hung up, and Booth banged his fist against the wall angrily.

 **Bobby**

Bobby wasn't sure what to expect when Rebecca answered the door. He knew Booth had called her before he got there.

"If you're here to convince me to let you take Parker to see him, it's not happening," she said coldly.

"Rebecca, come on. He didn't do this on purpose," Bobby said. "Let Sid take Parker to see him." Sid owned Wong Fu's, a place Bobby also enjoyed dining at with Booth sometimes. Bobby knew Sid was better friends with Rebecca then he was.

"I'll think about it, but I don't like your odds," she said, closing the door in his face. Bobby caught sight of Parker in the window, peeking out at him. He smiled and waved. Parker waved shyly back. Bobby went to Wong Fu's to see Sid.

"You talked to her? Brave man," Sid chortled.

"Someone had to. She's being unreasonable," Bobby said. "Can you take him if she agrees?"

"Yea, I can. I'll try talking to her too. I have an angle," he winked. Bobby laughed.

"All right," he grinned. "Okay, hit me." His phone buzzed again.

"Here you go," Sid said, handing him a sandwich.

"Every time," Bobby chuckled. Sid had that magic of bringing you something you didn't even know you really wanted. He answered his phone. "If you're calling to nag me again, don't bother. I did the best I could."

"What?" Jack asked.

"Oh, sorry mate. Thought you were someone else," Bobby laughed.

"I was gonna say," Jack said.

"What's up?"

"Sue is inviting you for dinner. Can you make it?"

"Of course. I always have time for my best friends," Bobby answered. "I'll be there at six."

"Great. See you then," Jack responded. Bobby finished his sandwich and paid before heading back outside. He got into his car and drove home slowly. He kept thinking about Tara and the past. He didn't think there would be any going back now.

 **Booth**

The next three days were painstakingly slow. Angela managed to make them all do Secret Santa. Brennan gave them a scare by exhibiting a symptom of valley fever, but it was a false alarm. Booth sat there jiggling his legs in anticipation as everyone got to see their visitors. When Sid walked through the door with Parker, he felt an explosion of relief. Despite the glass, he enjoyed his visit. It was after that he noticed Brennan was up on the catwalk watching. He realized she had no visitors, and his heart ached for her. He knew her parents had disappeared around Christmas when she was 15 years old. She had been throwing herself into the case with abandon, and he knew why. It was to get her mind off of being alone. He saw her go to her office, and he made to follow when Angela beat him to it. He stood in the doorway quietly, not meaning to eavesdrop, but it somehow happened.

"What's with you and presents?" Angela asked.

"I woke up Christmas morning to a tree full of presents. Russ had found them and tried to do the right thing and have Christmas for me," Brennan started.

"You thought your parents were back," Angela cut in. "Oh my God."

"I lost it on Russ. I told him I wouldn't open them until they came back. He left shortly after. It was like I was telling him he wasn't enough family for me," Brennan finished. Booth felt heartache for her then. He couldn't even imagine. He had the sudden urge to go and wrap his arms around her and make her feel better. He shook his head. She would get offended and ask him what the hell he was doing, so he did the next best thing.

"I have Lionel's missing person's file," he said, making them both turn to face him. It was true, he had it. It was shared with him just before Parker had arrived. Brennan looked at him expectantly.

"Let's go chat with Goodman," Booth suggested.

 **Bobby**

He had wanted to call and say Merry Christmas, but he couldn't do it. He couldn't bear to hear Stanley's voice in the background or answering the phone. He let the day go by quietly. Jack wouldn't let him spend it alone, though, so he went there for dinner and spent the night teasing Jack about why he wasn't a father yet. Booth had texted him and wished him Merry Christmas, and Bobby felt bad that his friend was stuck at the Jeffersonian. Usually they had a coffee together after he dropped Parker back home. He knew Booth would be free tomorrow.

"Are you all right?" Jack asked when Sue had gone into the other room to let Levi out.

"Yea, why?"

"You just look...distant," Jack noted.

"Just thinking, mate," Bobby said.

"About?"

"Things I could have done differently and didn't," Bobby answered.

"Tara," Jack nodded. He had found out after Tara's engagement announcement in October. Bobby had punched a bathroom stall, not knowing Jack was on the other side, so Bobby had no other choice but to come clean about his feelings.

"You're quick," Bobby laughed.

"I just know you liked her. I think you still like her. I'm sorry she's getting married," Jack empathized.

"Yea, well, I missed out, right? I was too late. It's all good. I'll get over it," Bobby promised. Jack just gave him a look.

"So," Sue said coming back. "Now that you've had your fun and teasing. I guess it's safe to say that I actually am pregnant." Bobby stared at her in shock. Jack raised his brows at Bobby as though to say "Ha!"

"Wow! Congratulations! Why did you let me go on about it so much?" Bobby asked, feeling stupid now.

"We didn't want to take away your fun," Sue smiled, eyes twinkling.

"I'm sorry. This is so great!" Bobby cheered.

"Thanks," Sue said. "You're the first we told." Jack took her hand and she rested her head onto his shoulder. Bobby admired Jack then. He had gone after what he wanted, and he ended up with the happy ever after. Bobby spent another while chatting with them before going home. It was late, but when he got home, there was a figure sitting on his steps. He stopped, confused. He rested his hand on where the hilt of his gun usually was and remembered it wasn't on him. Then the figure stepped into the street light.

"Hi," Tara said.

"Tara," he said stupidly.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked.

 **Booth**

Christmas Day was barreling past, and Booth was anxious to get out so he could see Parker. Angela told him to get Brennan as it was time for gifts, and he found her in her office. She appeared sad, but her expression changed once she saw him.

"Angela says it's time for Christmas," Booth said.

"Okay," she nodded. She walked out to join him when he made the choice. He hugged her tightly. Then, as predicted...

"What are you doing?" she asked. He released her quickly, and she looked at him with scrutiny, trying to understand his gesture.

"I just thought you needed it," Booth shrugged.

"I'm fine," Brennan told him.

"Okay," he said. They went and opened their gifts. It was an enjoyable moment between colleagues and friends. Booth had to admit, Angela had outdone herself. Then it was time for test results, and they were given the green light.

"Are you coming?" Booth asked Brennan.

"No. I contacted Ivy, and I'm waiting for her to contact me," Brennan said. She had told him earlier about the penny worth a hundred thousand dollars, and they had figured out Lionel's murderer from that. Brennan had called every Ivy Gillespie until she found the right one. Angela had been right. If she was Ivy, she'd want to know why Lionel never came back, just like she'd want to know what happened to her parents and why they never came back.

"Good luck," Booth said. "I'm at Wong Fu's if you want to join me."

"Okay," she nodded. He hoped he would see her there. He was beginning to feel connected with her, and he wondered if she felt the same way. He shot off a text to Bobby stating he was finally free, but he didn't get a reply. He figured he was with Jack and Sue like usual. He put all other thoughts away as he went to see his son.

She showed up before his son did, much to his surprise. She slid in beside him.

"Ivy came to see me," she said.

"And you told her what happened, gave her the letters and the penny," Booth nodded. "She cried."

"Yes."

"You just gave her the best Christmas present, Bones," he smiled. She smiled too.

"You're right," she agreed. He watched her carefully. There was something behind her eyes, but he wasn't sure what it was yet. She caught sight of the robot Zack had given to him as his gift.

"Still the coolest dad," he gloated, gesturing. Brennan laughed. Then the sound of his son calling his name made him turn around. Parker leaped into his arms, and Booth hugged him tightly. He didn't see Rebecca, but he knew she had dropped him off.

"Say Merry Christmas," Booth instructed to Parker.

"Merry Christmas," Parker repeated to Bones.

"Merry Christmas, Parker," Brennan smiled. Booth handed him the robot.

"Cool!" Parker shouted.

"I should go," Brennan said. Booth's eyes followed hers as she stood.

"I'll see you later," he said.

"Yes," she nodded. She paused at the door, watching him with his son. She had debated bringing him her parents' file, to trust him with the task of finding them, but she couldn't bring herself to do it yet. In time, she would. She stepped out into the snowy afternoon and headed back to the lab. She had some presents to open.

 **Bobby**

"Okay," Bobby said. Tara was standing there wringing her hands, and he wasn't sure what was going to happen next.

"Stanley left," she blurted out.

"What?!" Bobby exclaimed. This news floored him. "Why? What happened? Tara, I'm so sorry."

"He left because I caught him," Tara went on, ignoring the rest.

"Doing what?" Bobby asked.

"Cheating," Tara answered. "I didn't know who else to go to..." She burst into tears then, and he pulled her into his arms. Bobby concealed the joy he felt suddenly. He rocked her gently as she cried, and he wondered if this was somehow the universe's Christmas gift to him, a single Tara.

* * *

 **To my Bobby/Tara fans, you didn't really think I wouldn't let those two have a chance did you? I was merely building up to it ;) LOL hope you enjoyed! (I have no idea if her middle name is Jane btw just made it up). I'll be tweaking some interactions between Booth and Brennan in the future to make them more connected just FYI. As always, I appreciate hearing your thoughts :) Cheers!**


	5. Chapter 5

**January 2006**

"Hey, hey!" Bobby cheered when he saw Booth enter the coffee shop. "There's my man! How was your vacation?"

"It wasn't really a vacation," Booth sighed.

"You were in L.A. That is a vacation," Bobby pointed out.

"It was for a case," Booth told him.

"Ah, well in that case, nevermind," Bobby grimaced. "Bad one?"

"Just this girl who had so much surgery that Bones almost couldn't get her identity. It just made me feel bad for these women, you know? They feel the need to alter themselves when they already look perfect. I think Bones was gonna pop the one doctor for suggesting she could make her face look better," Booth chuckled.

"I have yet to see this Bones," Bobby said. "So I wouldn't know."

"You haven't met her yet?" Booth asked, surprised.

"Nope," Bobby shook his head. Booth looked thoughtful.

"Huh," he said.

"Anyhow, ask me how my Christmas Day ended," Bobby urged.

"How did your Christmas Day end?" Booth asked, playing along. Bobby grinned and leaned forward.

"It ended with Tara sitting on my door step telling me the wedding is off," he answered. Booth sat up straight, eyes wide.

"Seriously?!" he exclaimed.

"Yes!" Bobby laughed.

"That's amazing! What happened?"

"She said she caught Stanley cheating, and he copped to it, so now he's left and is living with this new woman. Tara is devastated, of course, and I know to give her time and space before making my move, but it's looking very hopeful, mate," Bobby finished. He sat back and folded his hands on the edge of the table. Booth was astonished.

"So, how are you gonna do it?" he asked.

"Do what?"

"Ask her out?" Booth pressed.

"I think I'll wait and see for when she's in a better place. It's not really a wise thing to just swoop in on a recently dumped woman," Bobby explained.

"You're right. I'm getting ahead of myself," Booth laughed. "I'm just so thrilled for you!"

"Yea well, we wait and see, right?" Bobby smiled. Booth's phone trilled then, and he reached for it.

"Damn," he muttered.

"Case?"

"Yea."

"Go ahead. We can catch up later," Bobby nodded. Booth thanked him and answered his phone, exiting the cafe. Bobby smiled to himself and fingered his coffee mug handle. All in good time.

 **February 14, 2006**

"I hate Valentine's Day," Tara said. Bobby raised his brow, looking over at her. It kind of came out of left field since they were at work and she was typing furiously and searching for information on a case. Thankfully, it was just him and her in the bull pen. Jack had gone with Sue to a doctor's appointment for their baby, and Myles and Dimitrius were out on an investigation. Lucy was at home ill.

"How come?" Bobby asked. He peered over his computer screen at her. She glanced up and gave him the "come on" look.

"Do I really have to tell you?" she asked. "I was dumped on Christmas. All holidays that couples and married people are supposed to celebrate now suck."

"I'm single, and I love Valentine's Day," Bobby said, keeping a straight face.

"That's because you're a man and you aren't upset about the fact that you're alone," Tara pointed out.

"Ouch!" Bobby laughed. He faked a knife plunging into his chest, making her laugh.

"I'm sorry!" she cried through her laughter. "I just feel rotten right now."

"Hmm," Bobby said, getting an idea. He went to open his mouth when she got that look he knew all too well.

"I got it!" she exclaimed. She scribbled something down furiously before calling Myles to give him an update. Bobby sat there thinking. He knew just what he was gonna do for her.

* * *

"You're a real romantic you know that?" Booth laughed. They were walking to the flower shop together.

"Yea, well, my adopted father was one, so I learned some tricks," Bobby smirked. "Are you doing anything for your Bones?"

"Could you not say 'Your Bones'? It sounds weird, like you're referring to my actual bones and making them a third person," Booth said.

"All right. Dr. Brennan then. Are you doing anything for her?"

"No. She doesn't even really believe in love. Man, she's hardcore," Booth sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"You should do something," Bobby said in a singsongy voice.

"I'll think on it," Booth responded.

"Good. All I can ask. Now," Bobby said, looking around. "What do you suggest?"

"Roses," Booth said instantly.

"Yea," Bobby agreed. He walked over to a bouquet. "But the thing is, roses are kind of conventional, so I'm going with something I created."

"Oh?"

"Watch," Bobby winked. He caught the attention of the woman up to her elbows in flowers. "Hi, any chance you can help me create my own bouquet?"

"Absolutely!" she chirped. "What kind of flowers?" Bobby pointed out different ones, and Booth watched in amazement as his friend created the most beautiful bouquet of flowers he'd ever seen.

"And that's how it's done," Bobby said, smirking at him.

"Wow," Booth replied. Bobby paid to have them delivered, and he led Booth out of the store.

"What now?" Booth asked.

"I make reservations but also have a backup plan in case she's not up to going out," Bobby answered.

"I should be taking notes," Booth muttered to himself.

"I think you're a romantic guy," Bobby contradicted him. "You just gotta bring him out more often."

"Yea, thanks," Booth snorted. His phone rang again. He sighed roughly.

"You ever take a vacation?" Bobby asked.

"Not really," Booth answered. "I'll catch you later."

"See you," Bobby responded. He whistled as he went on his way. He had a good feeling about tonight.

 **Booth**

"Happy Valentine's Day, Bones," Booth said as they were driving to a case.

"Ugh. It's so commercialized now," Brennan commented. "You know..."

"I don't want to hear about the massacre," Booth stopped her.

"Fine," she sniffed, looking out the window. They drove in silence. Booth felt unsure of what to say to her. They arrived at the scene, and a guy was leaned over the hood of a cop car handcuffed.

"Why are we here at Little Salvador?" Brennan asked.

"This guy was pulled over for his Virginia plates. He also resembles a gang member," Booth answered.

"And I'm here because?" Brennan inquired.

"Of this," Booth answered, going to the trunk where the officer was waiting. The remains inside glared up at them.

"Oh," she nodded. "Okay." She leaned in to look better. Booth stopped listening after a while. He couldn't stop thinking about why he didn't do some romantic gesture for her. Now they were looking at a corpse. Not really a mood setter. He wondered how Bobby's date was going to go.

 **Bobby**

"Oh my God," Tara said, covering her mouth with her hands. Bobby was standing at her door dressed to the nines and holding her favorite movie in her hand with a cheesecake in the other.

"Surprise," he grinned.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, moving so he could come in.

"I wanted to change your mind about Valentine's Day," Bobby said. "Two single people can go out and have a great time I think. Don't you agree?"

"Where?" Tara asked.

"Either here or out there. Your choice," he replied.

"I...I...I don't know," she laughed. "I'm nowhere near ready to go out."

"You've got time if you want. No pressure. I'm good with ordering a pizza and staying here too," he smiled.

"Let's just stay in," Tara suggested. "If that's okay?"

"That's fine," he replied. He pulled off his jacket and dress shirt to reveal a plain t-shirt underneath.

"You come prepared," Tara commented.

"I do," he grinned. She took the cheesecake from him and went to the kitchen where her flowers were on the table. Then it hit her.

"Did you send me these too?" she asked, gesturing. He winked mischievously.

"You did!" she cried.

"Perhaps," he said vaguely. She smacked his arm playfully.

"Bobby!"

"All right. I did," he caved.

"Thank you. They're beautiful," she smiled. She gave him a hug.

"All right. Meat Lover's/Greek?" he asked.

"Yes!"

Bobby smiled to himself as he dialed the number. He was thinking that by the end of the night, Tara would call Valentine's Day her favorite day after all.

 **March 2006**

"I think someone is trying to kill Bones," Booth said. He was on his way to Brennan's apartment where he could keep an eye on her. He had called Bobby for a pep talk.

"Why's that?" Bobby asked.

"Someone has already shot at her. I'm going to her place right now for security," he answered.

"Be careful," Bobby warned. "Jack and I are looking into this as well. See if we find anything."

"Thanks, man," Booth said. He hung up then, having arrived at her door. He took a deep breath before knocking.

* * *

Bobby hurried to the hospital once he heard the news. He pushed past nurses and doctors, asking where room 108 was. He finally got the answer and made his way there. Booth was lying there bandaged and bruised.

"What happened?!" Bobby asked, standing next to him. Booth opened one eye.

"Got blown up," he answered matter of factly, echoing Brennan's statement from earlier.

"I can see that," Bobby said, looking at him. "How?"

"Someone planted a bomb in her fridge," Booth winced as he adjusted himself.

"Where is she now?" Bobby demanded.

"With Kenton," Booth answered.

"I never liked that guy," Bobby said immediately.

"He's solid, all right?" Booth responded. "Bones, she...she looked at my xrays. She saw things."

"Like what?" Bobby asked. He knew a little about Booth's experience with torture, but not details.

"My time in the Middle East. The fact that I tried to shield someone...look, it doesn't matter," Booth said. "She shouldn't have looked."

"No, you're right. Now you're vulnerable," Bobby nodded. Booth just stared at him.

"I'm gonna go back and look into this whole mess," Bobby said. "You stay put."

"Like I have a choice," Booth scoffed. Bobby patted his shoulder lightly and turned to go. He definitely was going to look into Kenton.

* * *

"Bobby," Booth said into the phone. "You were right about Kenton. He is the only one who knows about both investigations. You gotta get a team out there."

"I'm already on it, mate," Bobby said. "Where are you?"

"On my way there," Booth answered.

"In your condition?!"

"I've got Hodgins," Booth argued.

"Oh my God. All right. See you there," Bobby said roughly. Booth winced as they hit another pot hole.

"Why don't you get a real car?" Booth asked Hodgins, who ignored him.

"She's not answering her cell," he said.

"Oh that's not good," Booth moaned.

"Dude, that nurse was right to be pissed. You shouldn't have come," Hodgins said.

"Just shut up and drive," Booth ordered.

* * *

"You are not going in there," Bobby said, taking in Booth's condition.

"Like hell I'm not," Booth growled.

"You can barely stand," Jack pointed out.

"I am going in there," Booth said. He grabbed a vest and threw it at Hodgins. "Here. Put this on."

"Oh...oh, okay," Hodgins stuttered. He threw it on over his shirt.

"You're nuts," Bobby said.

"I'm doing this," Booth cut him off. Bobby just raised his brow without another word.

"Slowly," Jack ordered. He went ahead with Bobby behind him and Booth in the back with Hodgins hiding behind him. They came across a set of keys on the ground.

"Those are hers," Booth said quietly. Bobby nodded, hearing him. He signaled to Jack, who went left. It all happened so fast. Booth saw Kenton and shot him, making him fall like a log. Then he had Brennan in his arms telling her everything was okay while she cried. He barely registered that Jack and Bobby had hauled Kenton away.

"How did you get out of the hospital?" Brennan asked.

"Hodgins, but you know, maybe you could take me back there?" he asked, groaning in pain.

"Okay," she nodded.

* * *

"I can see it," Bobby said. It was late, but the nurse let him stay. Booth was drowsy beside him.

"See what?" he asked.

"The attraction. Dr. Brennan is very attractive," Bobby pointed out, looking at Booth. "Why haven't you asked her out yet?"

"She canceled her date and stayed here with me," Booth said. "I'd say that's something." She had looked so hot in that dress...

"Guilt more like," Bobby laughed.

"So have you asked Tara out yet?" Booth asked, changing the subject.

"Damn you," Bobby said, shaking his fist at him, laughing. "Not yet. Soon."

"Don't be afraid to tell her," Booth said, getting sleepier.

"Tell her what?"

"About the gambling," Booth said. Bobby turned to look at him, but his friend was already asleep. Bobby sat there thinking about Booth's statement. He had a point, but Bobby was afraid. He didn't want to lose Tara over something he had a grip on, but he also knew honesty was the best policy. He sighed deeply. He knew it had to come out sometime.

 **May 2006**

"They found Bones' mother," Booth said.

"Oh no," Bobby remarked. Booth was sitting across from him with his head in his hands.

"She's been dead since 1998," Booth went on. "She's been at the Jeffersonian as long as Bones has."

"That's terrible," Bobby shook his head.

"I don't know what to do," Booth confessed. He looked at Bobby finally. It was quite late, and they were sitting at Wong Fu's.

"Take her some food," Bobby suggested. "I doubt she's eating anything right now."

"Yea. Yea, that's a good idea," Booth nodded. He signaled to Sid.

"Just be there for her," Bobby instructed.

"Okay," Booth said. Sid handed him a to go bag, and Booth turned to go.

* * *

"I haven't heard from you in a while," Bobby said. "Everything all right?"

"Yea. We just got back from McVicker's. Bones is pretty shaken," Booth sighed. He filled Bobby in on what had been happening. He was worried about Brennan. He didn't know what else he could do for her. He wished he could just take all the pain away from her.

"Are you with her right now?" Bobby asked.

"She needed some time. Bobby, she just found out that her parents changed her and her brother's names and took off because this guy was going to kill them," Booth explained. "I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. Sometimes that's the best thing you can do," Bobby said.

"I feel like I should be doing more," Booth argued, kicking at the gravel.

"Like what? There isn't anything more you can do."

"I can find her father."

"Booth, you've been trying to do that for months now," Bobby reminded him.

"Yea but I've got Russ here now too. I feel like I could get a better lead," Booth tried.

"Booth, let it go. At least for this moment. She doesn't need her father right now. She needs you."

"And what can I do?"

"Be her friend," Bobby said simply. "Hey, I gotta go. Jack needs me to go with him on a case."

"All right. Good luck," Booth told him.

"You too."

* * *

 _"This is your father. You need to stop looking for me."_

The silence in the apartment after these words was deafening. Booth looked at Russ and Brennan, and he saw the shock on both their faces.

"Why is he calling?" Brennan asked. "How did he get my number?"

"He's warning us," Russ pointed out.

"I can see that, Russ," Brennan snapped.

"Easy, easy," Booth said, stepping between them. "This could be helpful."

"How?" Brennan demanded.

"It just will. We'll get someone to analyze the background noise or something," Booth told her. "Just, let it be for now."

"I should go," Russ said. "I have to get back."

"Already?" Brennan asked, disappointed.

"Yea. I'll talk to you later, okay?" he said. He hugged her goodbye and left. Booth stood there watching her. She started to cry.

"Hey," he said, going over to her and pulling her into an embrace. "It's all right."

"No, it's not. My mother is dead, and my father is...I don't know," she cried. She clung to him tightly. Booth so badly wanted to tell her how he felt then. The timing was just never right for him. He just held her while she sobbed.

 **Bobby**

"Things are good?" Bobby asked Jack. "With the baby?"

"Yea. We're having twins," Jack replied.

"Twins?!"

"Oh yea. I'm kinda losing my mind right now. One baby was hard enough," Jack laughed nervously.

"You'll be a great father," Bobby told him, grinning. "I can see it already. A little spit up here. Some drool here. Maybe some food here." He gestured on Jack's shirt.

"Oh shut up," Jack laughed.

"Hey," Tara said, walking by and smiling at Bobby. He grinned back.

"Hey yourself," he nodded.

"You still on for tonight?"

"Of course! Die Hard is epic. You'll love it," he told her.

"I dunno," she said, smirking.

"Well, I gotta go home to my pregnant wife," Jack said. "We have to double everything we've already got so far. Should be fun."

"Neutral colors, mate, unless you know the sex of the babies," Bobby called after him. Jack just raised his hand in response as he walked away.

"I'll see you at 7?" Tara asked, bringing him back.

"Yea," he grinned. "See you then." She smiled and grabbed her purse before leaving the bull pen. Bobby watched her walk away. He knew he needed to tell her about his gambling addiction and soon. He really needed the right timing.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed! No flashbacks this time as I wanted to move things ahead. I will continue to flashback from Bobby's perspective as it fits into my plot with Booth's storyline though. Interesting fact: The person Booth was talking to on the phone in Hodgin's car on the show was actually a guy named Bobby... ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I think Tara/Bobby fans and Booth/Brennan fans are gonna enjoy this chapter...just saying ;)**

* * *

 **July 2006**

"Just ask her out already!" Booth exclaimed. Bobby had just finished talking to him about the great time he and Tara had the night before at a concert.

"It's not time yet," Bobby answered calmly. "It'll happen, mate, just not yet."

"You are infuriating me," Booth growled.

"And you me," Bobby laughed. "But I can't tell you how to tell Dr. Brennan your feelings."

"It's complicated, all right? We work together."

"Tara and I work together."

"She's complex."

"Aren't all women?"

"She has different values from me."

"Nobody is the same."

"All right. This isn't helping," Booth said, getting up.

"Aw come on," Bobby called after him. "I'm just having some fun!"

"Whatever!" Booth called back. He'd been thinking about Brennan too much lately. She was inside his head so bad, it drove him crazy almost. Bobby made it sound so simple. Just tell her. But something held him back. He wasn't sure what. He just couldn't put his finger on it. His phone rang.

"Booth," he said.

"Since you ran off all in a pout," Bobby said. "I didn't get to tell you that Jack wants to officially meet you. He's wanted to since the time you dragged yourself into that warehouse to save Dr. B. Unlike me, he thought you were heroic."

"Really?" Booth asked, stopping in his tracks. The famous Jack. The one who was about to become a father in two months. He wanted to meet Booth. Officially.

"Yea. I mentioned we were mates, and he was curious to meet you," Bobby finished.

"Yea okay," Booth agreed. "Text me when."

"Will do," Bobby said. They hung up. His phone rang again immediately after.

"I said text not call," Booth said into it.

"Um, no you didn't. I would have recalled that," Brennan said, confused.

"Oh, hey. No, I thought you were someone else," Booth laughed. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to know what you were doing tonight," Brennan said. Booth's heart leaped. She did?

"Uh, nothing," he replied. "What did you have in mind?"

"I have to meet with a publisher, and I thought you might like to join me," she said.

"Y-yea. Yea! That sounds...great," Booth finished. Not the night he had in mind, but at least he'd be with her.

"You sure? You sound hesitant," Brennan noted.

"No, no! I'm in. Count me in," he said.

"I'll pick you up at five," Brennan told him.

"Wait, you're driving?" Booth asked.

"Yes, I'm an excellent driver," she replied.

"I know. It's just, I'm always the driver," he said.

"Well, this time I'm the driver," she responded. "You don't even know where we're going."

"I could figure it out," he argued.

"Booth..."

"All right, all right. See you at five," he sighed.

 **August 2006**

"You bonehead!" Bobby shouted. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry! It just...happened okay?" Booth said, wincing.

"Sleeping with Rebecca doesn't just 'happen,'" Bobby snorted. "I thought you wanted Dr. Brennan?"

"I do! She just...ever since that night a month ago, things have been kind of distant between us. She's pulled back. I don't know how to reach her," Booth explained. He didn't mention how he had gone to hold Brennan's hand and she got all awkward afterwards. She was careful whenever they were together to not accidentally touch him now. He had blown it.

"You have to keep trying," Bobby chastised him. "You can't just give up on her!"

"I'm not! I just...took a detour."

"Oh my God you're an idiot," Bobby chided him.

"It gets worse," Booth told him, grimacing.

"How? How could this get worse?" Bobby demanded.

"You remember Camille?"

"Oh no..."

"She's now head of the Jeffersonian..."

"Booth..."

"...and once Rebecca stopped what we were doing, I kind of hooked up with Cam..."

"BOOTH!"

"I know! I know! I'm an idiot," Booth sighed, dropping his head.

"Bigger than an idiot now," Bobby tsked. "More like colossal jackass."

"Look, things with Cam are good. Bones, she doesn't get me, Bobby. She doesn't get love or faith or half the things I believe in."

"Do you get what she believes in?"

"Well...no..."

"Then how is that fair? It's okay for you not to get her but it's not okay for her to not get you?"

"That's not what I'm saying..."

"You need to figure your crap out, Booth," Bobby said.

"I know."

"Is this a bad time?" Jack asked. He was standing beside their table having come in to see them bickering.

"No, not at all," Bobby said. "Jack this is Booth. Booth, Jack."

"Pleased to meet you," Jack said, holding out his hand. "Officially of course. You look better than the last time I saw you."

"Ha, ha," Booth laughed sarcastically. "Nice to meet you too." They shook hands. Jack sat down beside them.

"Sorry it's taken me this long to meet you," Jack said. "Things have been...hectic."

"How's Sue?" Bobby asked, knowing that was what he was talking about.

"I think she hates me a little bit," Jack winced.

"Getting near the end eh?" Bobby asked.

"Yes, thank God. I feel horrible for doing this to her," Jack groaned, banging his forehead against the table.

"It'll pass once she's holding the bundle of joys," Booth pointed out. He knew about the twins. "Rebecca was the same. God, I couldn't do anything right in the last month of her pregnancy."

"Did she tell you your breathing was too loud?" Jack asked, lifting his head up.

"She mentioned she didn't know anyone who could snore when they were awake," Booth nodded.

"You guys are making me not want to have kids," Bobby commented.

"Oh, but it's the miracle of life!" Jack argued. "You must experience it!"

"Not if I'm gonna get destroyed in the process," Bobby laughed.

"Destroyed is putting it mildly," Jack told him. He had to admit, though, if he were Sue, he would be pissed off and uncomfortable the majority of the time too.

"So, Bobby tells me you were a sniper," Booth said, changing the subject.

"Yea for SWAT," Jack nodded.

"I was too, for the army," Booth replied. Jack raised his brows.

"Really?"

"Yea."

"Aw shoot," Bobby said, looking at his ringing phone. "Tara is calling."

"How's that going anyway?" Jack asked when Bobby stood up.

"Great," Bobby winked, going off to answer.

"He's taking too long," Booth said.

"I know! I get that he's waiting, but geez. It's taking forever," Jack sighed.

"I kind of get it though," Booth stated. He did.

"I don't," Jack exhaled. "Coffee?" He stood to get some.

"Sure," Booth nodded. He turned to see Bobby on the phone smiling widely. It was good to see his friend so happy.

 **November 2006**

"Oh my God, Booth," Brennan said, stopping when she saw Booth was standing still in the middle of a casino. "I completely forgot. You shouldn't be here!"

"No it's...it's fine," he said. He licked his lips anxiously. Everything seemed like it was spinning. He felt pulled in all directions.

"You're a degenerate gambler," Brennan said.

"Former gambler, all right? I've been through the program," he said.

"What if you get the urge to gamble? Do you need to sit down?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine. The sound of winning will pass," he answered. God it sounded so good. The whistles and bells and people screaming with joy.

"Booth?"

"This reminds me of the first time I ever gambled. I walked in with 35 bucks and left with a cool 10 grand. I lost it all the next night and maxed my ATM trying to get it back," he told her. She looked at him, concerned.

"I really think you shouldn't be here," she said softly.

"Let's just talk to our loan shark all right? You stay here and observe the culture," he ordered. He felt the twitch in his hands. He needed to call Bobby, now, but he also needed to keep going with this case, and the loan shark was now in front of him, so he switched his brain off that desperately wanted to gamble and turned on the part where he did his job.

* * *

"Bobby," Booth said into his phone. "I'm dying here. I went into a casino today..."

"For what?!" Bobby asked, alarmed.

"To talk to a loan shark."

"Booth? There something you wanna tell me?"

"No, no, no, not for me. For a case! I just...had to go through a casino to do it. God, I wanted to gamble so bad. I really did," Booth said, playing with his watch in his hand.

"You need to get out of there, mate," Bobby said.

"No. I just got into a fight club. I can't leave now," Booth explained.

"Look, you so much as think about gambling, and you sock yourself in the face from me, got it?"

"I got it," Booth agreed.

"Do I need to come down there?"

"No. There's no reason to hook you into this too," Booth replied. Bobby sighed loudly.

"Does Dr. Brennan know you're struggling?"

"She tried to convince me to leave. I think she's got my back," Booth said.

"Good. At least someone has a brain over there."

"I'll talk to you later."

"All right. Keep your head on!" Bobby ordered.

* * *

"Bobby?"

"Yea?"

"I got beat up," Booth moaned. His body ached and his face felt like hell. He would never have won without Brennan's advice though, and it made the case end that much faster since they tried to say they owned him.

"You lose?"

"No. I won actually," Booth said.

"Damn. I owe Jack 20 bucks," Bobby sighed.

"What?!"

"I'm kidding! So, is the case over?"

"Yea. Bobby?"

"What?"

"Bones was smokin' hot. I mean smokin'. It was all I could do not to..."

"Ahh stop!" Bobby shouted. "I don't need to hear what your teenage dream was."

"Sorry. I came this close, man. I wanted to tell her..."

"Are you still with Cam?"

"Yea..."

"Then hold off until you break up with her."

"I know."

"I still don't understand why you even..."

"Don't go there, all right? I said I was sorry," Booth snapped, irritated.

"All right, all right. I won't preach anymore," Bobby said.

"I've never felt so conflicted," Booth admitted. "I mean, Cam is familiar, right? I know her, but Bones is like uncharted territory that I wanna explore..."

"Booth..."

"You know what I mean," Booth said impatiently.

"Yes, but I can do without the mental images," Bobby laughed.

"I feel sick," Booth groaned.

"Get off the phone with me and get some medical attention all right? I'll talk to you later," Bobby said. They hung up, and Booth dropped his head back onto the pillows, moaning.

 **Bobby**

"How are my little godchildren?" Bobby asked, leaning over the crib and examining the little boy and girl that were sleeping soundly. He had been there for their birth, and he remembered how proud Jack had looked when he handed over the boy to Bobby in the hospital room while Tara held the little girl. He and Sue had asked them both to be godparents.

"Finally sleeping," Jack said wearily. Sue was asleep in the rocking chair behind them. Bobby envied her deafness sometimes. The ability to not have worldly noises interrupt sleep would be handy sometimes.

"You doing all right?" Bobby asked.

"Oh yea. I'm just...tired. Bobby, remember when we worked that serial sniper case and I was awake for almost three days straight?"

"Yea. I can't forget. You almost got yourself killed."

"Well, let's just say I'd rather be that tired than this tired right now," Jack moaned. He slumped against the wall, rubbing his eyes with his hands.

"Go sleep," Bobby instructed. "I'm here. I'll watch them. I think I can change a diaper if needed."

"You sure?"

"Yea! Go rest," Bobby said, shooing him. He went back to staring at the little bundles with a big smile on his face once Jack had left the room. He even started thinking about how he'd maybe like to have one of his own one day.

 **A Week Later**

"I find the Gravedigger to be a bit like God," Brennan said suddenly. Booth almost swerved the SUV into the curb in shock. He whipped his head to look at her.

"What?!"

"It's kind of true. They both deliver rules that can't be negotiated or questioned, they don't care how it works out, and you either do what they say and make some sacrifices or otherwise wind up in hell," she finished. He gaped at her.

"Don't say things like that to me," he said. "Especially when you're sitting next to me. I really don't like the idea of getting struck by lightning." He tugged at his collar while looking around outside nervously.

"You go to church every Sunday right?"

"Uh huh."

"Can I come with you?"

"No."

"But it might help me understand!"

"I am not gonna help you disrespect the God in His own house. Turn on the religious channel if you want to do something anthropological," he told her. She crossed her arms and gave him a look. Booth shuddered in his seat from the image of Brennan in his church scrutinizing everything and mocking the priest.

"I thought you'd like me to come with you. Aren't you always saying I need to learn more about religion?" she asked. She looked at Booth carefully. Maybes he wasn't reading those signals correctly. She wasn't sure.

"I'd love for you to come if you were actually interested in what it's about instead of dissecting it and ripping it to shreds," Booth answered. "When you get to that point, let me know."

"All right. I will," she agreed.

 **Bobby**

"Gravedigger?" Jack asked Bobby. They were sitting at Jack's desk looking over the new report that had come in.

"Yea. The Jeffersonian is looking into it," Bobby answered.

"This guy's a real sicko," Jack muttered, looking at the photos of the containers the children were kept in. He would never be the same if something like this happened to his children. He could only imagine how the parents of these victims felt right now.

"We'll get 'im," Bobby reassured him, clapping his arm roughly. Bobby walked away trying to think of something happy. He wanted to find this Gravedigger and beat him senseless with something hard.

"Hey," Tara smiled at him, coming in. She handed him a coffee.

"Aw thanks, love. You read my mind," he winked at her. She waggled her brow at him and sat down at her desk. Bobby looked at her and decided it was time to make his move. It was almost a year since Stanley had bolted on her, so he figured he'd put in enough time.

"You, uh, wanna go on a date with me tonight?" Bobby asked. Tara looked up at him, surprised.

"You mean we haven't been dating?" she questioned. This stunned him.

"You...you thought we were?"

"Well...weren't we? Why else would you spend so much time with me?" she laughed. Her eyes were twinkling.

"I uh, I thought you needed time after...you know," Bobby stammered.

"And you gave it to me, but I've sensed these past six months were a bit more than just a friend comforting a friend," she said.

"Okay. Wow. You're a step ahead of me," he chuckled. "As usual. Um, so you're okay with...with us being an...us?"

"Of course," Tara said, leaning towards him. "I've wondered when you were going to officially ask me."

"Well I'm asking," Bobby said. "Right now."

"I am saying yes," Tara smiled. Bobby gave her a sheepish smile in response. She was more intuitive than he realized.

"All right then," he nodded.

"Myles!" Jack shouted then, making them both jump, startled.

"What?" Myles asked from his desk, annoyed.

"You owe me 50 bucks," Jack said. "I was right."

"Really?" Myles asked, intrigued. He looked over at Tara.

"What's going on?" Bobby asked.

"We had a pool going about whether Tara already thought you were dating or not," Jack explained. Dimitrius, or D as he was commonly known as, came over and slapped his 20 down in Jack's hand. Myles handed his bill over reluctantly.

"Tell Lucy," Jack said to Myles, who scowled in return as he stalked off to inform her.

"I didn't know we had a gambler in the room with us," Bobby smirked. Jack gave him an innocent look in return. Bobby's phone rang then, and he saw it was Booth.

"Hang on," he said to Tara. He went out into the hall to answer.

"Bobby," Booth said hurriedly. "Bobby, you gotta help me."

 **Booth**

 _Temperance Brennan and Jack Hodgins have been buried alive. Wire eight million dollars to the following Canyon account or they will suffocate to death._

Buried alive.

They will suffocate to death.

Temperance.

Booth was pacing frantically. This couldn't be happening. He felt like he was the one suffocating right now. Cam, Angela, and Zack were watching him unsure of what to say.

"Should we go look at the crime scene?" Cam suggested. Booth snapped his head to look at her.

"Yes, lets," he said. He charged out to the parking garage where he found Bobby there with other FBI agents.

"Hey," he said to Booth. "I came as fast as I could..." He looked at the team behind Booth.

"It's the squint squad," Booth explained.

"Hey," Cam said, indignant.

"Nice to meet you. Sorry it wasn't so great of circumstances," Bobby nodded to them. "All right. There's blood over here..."

"Oh my God," Angela said as she watched Booth follow Bobby to see it.

"It'll be Hodgins," Booth responded, looking at it. His own knees hurt just seeing it. Bobby was watching him carefully.

"Don't jump to conclusions," Zack said. "Dr. Brennan hates that."

"I'm sure she'll be just fine with that since we're on a bit of a deadline," Cam commented.

"I need you to be Dr. Brennan," Booth said to Zack.

"I don't even know what that means," Zack stammered.

"Good, you're almost there," Booth snapped, referring to his statement. Brennan said it all the time to him.

"Easy," Bobby said. Booth glared at him. The others immediately starting trying to analyze the evidence. Bobby took Booth aside for a moment.

"Are you gonna be all right?" he asked.

"No," Booth answered. "I have no idea where they are, and I have no idea who has done this. I...I can't...I can't focus..."

"Deep breaths. We are the FBI, and your squint squad is the best, no?" Bobby asked.

"They are."

"Then we will solve this and save the day like we always do. Have faith," Bobby said, patting his shoulder before returning to the other agents.

 **Later**

"Knock, knock," Bobby said, coming into Booth's office.

"Three hours," Booth told him. "She has three hours to live."

"And Hodgins," Bobby reminded him.

"Yea. Him too," Booth said absently. He paced his office. Bobby stood at the door watching.

"Couldn't get the ransom?"

"No. Not in time," Booth answered. "I should have told her, man. What the hell is wrong with me?! Now she'll never know."

"I don't believe this is the time for an 'I told you so' moment," Bobby commented.

"No, it's not," Booth snapped. His phone vibrated then, and he looked at it.

"What?" Bobby asked, seeing his face.

"This," Booth said, showing him.

"6 7 16 M1.4?" Bobby read. He looked at Booth, confused.

"It's from Hodgins," Booth said.

"Wait, isn't he...?"

"Yea," Booth said, already running out the door.

* * *

Bobby and Jack rushed out of their SUV and raced over to where Booth was standing. They looked down into the pit of the quarry.

"They're in here?" Bobby asked.

"This place is huge," Jack muttered to himself.

"What?" Booth snapped.

"I don't know how we're gonna find them in time," Jack answered.

"I don't have time for your skepticism," Booth snarled. Bobby gestured for Jack to go join the other agents.

"They're here for sure?" Bobby asked.

"Yes. Zack isn't wrong," Booth answered. He scanned hard. There had to be something. Then he saw it. It was small, but it was there. He sprinted down the hill, trying not to twist his ankles on the loose soil. He got to the spot where he had seen the puff of air, and he collapsed onto the ground and started digging like a madman. The others soon joined him, and Booth caught hold of a hand and pulled hard. Brennan came flying out and landed on him. The others kept digging until Hodgins was yanked out as well. Bobby breathed a huge sigh of relief. Jack stood beside him with his arms crossed, observing.

"So," he said, watching Booth and Brennan conversing. "You think he's gonna tell her? Or does she need to almost die one more time before he figures it out?"

"I bloody hope he tells her soon," Bobby answered. "Come on. We should get back and finish our reports so we can go home."

 **January 2007**

Bobby found him standing on a bridge overlooking the river. He was fingering his chip he'd gotten from their group for staying sober so long. Bobby knew his friend had experienced a rough night, and knew if he didn't show up to support him, he could wind up in a casino somewhere.

"I broke up with Cam," Booth said, not looking at Bobby when he approached.

"Okay."

"I put her in danger. Epps only knew to target her because we had a relationship."

"I wouldn't jump to that conclusion..."

"I can't date Bones."

"What? Why not?"

"I would put her in danger, just like with what happened to Cam tonight," Booth answered. He looked at Bobby finally.

"Booth, that's ridiculous," Bobby said softly.

"It's not," Booth shook his head, turning back towards the river.

"I think there's more that you're upset about," Bobby pointed out.

"I dropped him, okay?" Booth said sharply. "One minute I had him, the next I didn't. I don't remember what happened in the middle."

"Jack said he slipped out of your hand," Bobby said simply. Jack had been acting as a sniper on a roof when the team had been called. Bobby had been down on the ground trying to see, but he missed what happened.

"Slipped. Dropped. They're all the same, aren't they?" Booth asked. He squeezed his chip hard in his hand.

"Booth..."

"I need to be alone right now," Booth said.

"All right," Bobby agreed. He turned to go.

"I won't do it," Booth called after him. Bobby paused.

"Do what?"

"Gamble. I know you're worried about that," Booth answered. Bobby nodded his head slowly.

"I know," he said. Booth looked away again, and Bobby walked away into the night.

 **April 2007**

"Is it wrong for me to be happy that Sully took off?" Booth asked. Bobby swallowed his coffee.

"That depends on the reason," Bobby answered.

"I think I need to tell Bones how I feel, and soon," Booth went on.

"I have been trying to tell you that for what, two years now?" Bobby asked.

"Like you're innocent," Booth scoffed.

"I'm with Tara now, aren't I?" Bobby asked. Booth closed his mouth. Bobby had a point there.

"Man my face hurts," Booth said, changing the subject.

"Well, you were beaten up pretty good there," Bobby pointed out. He flashed back to rushing into the airplane hangar recently and finding Booth on the ground bleeding and clearly tortured. Brennan had found him in the nick of time it seemed.

"I have to arrest her Dad," Booth went on. "That is gonna ruin our relationship."

"Then let someone else do it," Bobby said.

"She says she's okay with it, but I don't think she is," Booth kept talking, ignoring Bobby. "This is gonna hurt her."

"Dr. Brennan is a very rational person. I'm sure if she says she understands and is okay with it, then she really is," Bobby said.

"Oh side with her why don't you?" Booth snapped.

"Touchy, touchy," Bobby laughed. "Look, I gotta go, but promise me you will talk to Dr. B tonight about your feelings? I want a full report tomorrow."

 **May 2007**

"I can't believe you still haven't told her," Bobby muttered while Booth put his tuxedo on.

"Arresting her father kind of got in the way," Booth replied.

"Excuses, excuses," Bobby tutted.

"I will tonight. After the wedding. It's gonna be perfect," Booth said, adjusting his tie in the mirror. He squinted at himself.

"Do I need to be standing there with a gun aimed at your head to make you do it?" Bobby teased.

"Shut up," Booth answered.

"I'm serious. Tell her. Grow a pair," Bobby instructed. Booth finished tucking his shirt in and grabbed his keys.

"Wish me luck," he said on his way out.

"Good luck," Bobby called.

* * *

"Now what do we do?" Brennan asked, looking at Booth. Angela and Hodgins had bolted from their own wedding, and she and Booth were standing in front of the minister, who was smiling at them cheekily.

"I...I have no idea," Booth answered honestly. He felt nervous suddenly. She was so beautiful in front of him. He didn't know what to say. Cam was looking around at the crowd, who were becoming restless.

"I guess we go party," Booth said after a while. He held out his hand for her to take, which she did. He shivered at her touch. This was the night. He had this. Bobby would be so proud of him after.

"I wonder what went wrong," Brennan commented when they reached the head table. She sat beside Booth.

"I guess we'll find out later," Booth responded. He fidgeted with the seam of his pants nervously. His mouth was suddenly very dry. He licked his lips a little.

"What's wrong?" Brennan asked, picking up on his nervousness.

"Bones, there's something I gotta tell you," Booth said, looking at her seriously.

"I already forgave you for arresting my father," Brennan laughed.

"No it's not that. It's something else..."

"Smile!" the photographer called, flashing a bright light at them.

"Ow," Booth grunted, rubbing his eyes with one hand. There were spots in his eyes now.

"You were saying?" Brennan asked, not fazed at all by the flash.

"I uh...I'm...well I've been thinking..."

"Your meal," the waiter said, setting their plates down in front of them.

"I'm starving," Brennan stated, grabbing her fork and diving in. Booth reached over and took the fork from her. "Hey!"

"I need your undivided attention for this," Booth said.

"Oh. It's serious then," Brennan nodded. "Can I at least sip my wine?"

"Go for it," Booth agreed. She obliged, looking at him still. "So..."

"Angela was already married!" Cam hissed as she scooted down to join them.

"What?" Brennan asked.

"Yea! Some guy in a different country," Cam explained. "That's why they split!"

"Wow," Booth said. "That's great. Hey, Cam, can you, uh, scooch back on down to your seat? Kind of in an important conversation happening here. Scooch, scooch!" He gestured with his hand.

"All right, grumpy," Cam muttered, leaving them alone.

"Booth..." Brennan scolded.

"Later," he interrupted. "We'll talk about Angela and Hodgins' failed marriage later. Look, I need to tell you that..."

"I'm off to Iraq," Zack declared, standing in front of them.

"But dinner just started," Brennan said, looking at her food longingly.

"I need to go or else I'll panic and not go," Zack answered logically. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, Zack," Brennan said, standing up and leaning over the table to hug him. "I'll miss you."

"And I you. I hope I don't get killed," Zack said matter of factly.

"You'll be just fine," Booth told him, getting impatient.

"Booth!"

"He will!"

"Maybe but don't say it like that," Brennan admonished. She turned to Zack. "Come home soon."

"I'll try," he said. Then he was gone. Booth was vibrating his legs now, impatient to get the words that were in his head out of his mouth. Brennan started eating again. He sighed. This was going nowhere.

"You were saying?" Brennan prompted, her mouth full.

"You two looked so cute..." Caroline started as she came up to them.

"All right," Booth said, standing up fast and making a clattering sound. Brennan and Caroline stared at him.

"Are you okay?" Brennan asked.

"Not really. You, me, right now," he said, pulling her up roughly.

"Ow! Booth!" she cried, following him awkwardly. "I'm in heels! Slow down!" He led her to an abandoned area and spun to face her.

"Bones, I need to tell you something," he started.

"Clearly since you felt the need to yank me away from dinner. A very good dinner I might add," Brennan said.

"It's important, and I need you to just listen, okay?" he said.

"Okay," she agreed slowly. He was scaring her a little.

"Bones, I...I'm in love with you, okay? Totally head over heels, do anything you ask, die for you in love with you," he blurted out. "I have been trying to find a way to tell you for months, and I know the whole Cam thing was stupid, but I figured you'd never go for it, so I was afraid to say anything and it just...it happened, but I wish it didn't. I discovered I can't be with anyone else because all I think about is you. Then you got with Sully, and I couldn't just ruin that for you, so I didn't, but then he left. I wanted to say something a while ago but then I arrested your father, and I felt you were mad at me. But we cleared that up, so here I am. Telling you." He stopped to look at her. Her eyes were very wide, and she wasn't saying anything.

"I really need you to say words now," he urged. He felt scared. Maybe he should have just kept it to himself. Maybe all those interruptions were a sign from God, and he ignored every single one of them. He was gonna have a big chat with Bobby when he got home.

"Booth..." she started but stopped. Her mind was whirling. He loved her? She guessed the signs were all there.

"Say something," he begged.

"I...I don't know," she finally said. She looked at him full on. "I really don't." It was overwhelming. Booth loved her. What was she supposed to do with that information?

"Temperance," he whispered. She opened her mouth to say something, but he kissed her instead, and she found it so deliriously intoxicating that all the words she was going to say left her mind completely. Against all rational judgment, she found herself kissing him back with full force. It kept going and going until they found an abandoned guest room. Booth couldn't believe it was going this way. He figured she'd turn him down and then he'd be devastated. He hadn't expected her to reciprocate.

"You have...?" she asked, breathless.

"Shit, no," he grumbled.

"Lucky I do," she grinned. His head spun. Everything went like a blur. Bones. His Bones. It was so much more than he'd ever dreamed of. If only he had taken this leap earlier.

* * *

 **I had so much fun writing all the interruptions. I could so see Booth getting annoyed and frustrated! So now I'm deviating from canon a bit here, obviously, but I will keep it in line with the events of the show. If you've read "A Change of Events," then you'll know how I do it. I'm going to try and incorporate some more flashbacks for Bobby in the next chapter along with some more buddy moments between Bobby and Booth since this story is about their friendship.**


	7. Chapter 7

Bobby looked up from his coffee as Booth practically strutted into the diner the next morning. He looked at his watch.

"It's only 8:30," he said. "And you already look like someone who's won the lottery."

"I'm just lucky" Booth shrugged, sliding into the chair opposite of Bobby.

"You didn't gamble, did you?" Bobby asked, getting worried. He recognized that high.

"No!" Booth said defensively. "Well, I did in a way."

"What?!"

"Not in the getting money way," Booth went on. "In getting the girl way."

"You-! What?" Bobby asked, stopping short. "Did I hear that properly?"

"You certainly did," Booth said in his bragging way. Bobby looked at his watch again.

"It's 8:34, shouldn't you still be with her?!"

"She's an early riser," Booth replied. "She's already at the lab. I'm just getting us some coffee."

"I have to hand it to you," Bobby said. "I never thought you'd actually do it."

"Don't challenge a gambler then," Booth shrugged again. He got up to order two coffees while Bobby watched, amazed.

 **Booth**

"Here you are, lovely," Booth said, handing the coffee to Brennan.

"Thank you," she smiled. Booth leaned on the door frame watching her as she went back over to the table to examine the remains. He loved the way her face looked when she was concentrating.

"So," he said after a while.

"Yes, about last night," Brennan said, standing up straight and looking at him. She was also very direct.

"Yea?"

"Did you mean what you said?"

"Which part?" he asked, teasing.

"About you being in love with me," Brennan answered. She was serious, he could tell. He cleared his throat and entered the room, setting his coffee down on an empty shelf. He went over to her and took her hands in his. Well, wrists since she was wearing gloves and he didn't particularly want bone guck on him.

"Bones, I meant every single word," he told her.

"Really?" she asked, looking at him intently.

"Yes," he nodded.

"I wish I could say it back," she said. He gave her a curious look. "It's not like I can't. I'm just not there yet. I care about you a lot, but it's hard for me to love right away. You understand, right?"

"Right," Booth echoed. "Of course."

"Do you still want to love me?" she asked, feeling worried.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because I can't say it back..."

"Oh, Bones. I know you feel it in there somewhere. I can wait until you can vocalize it," Booth laughed. She leaned in and kissed him. It was the best feeling in the world.

 **Bobby**

He was tapping his pencil on his desk, thinking. He knew he needed to tell Tara about his gambling addiction, but he just wasn't ready to tarnish their relationship yet. They'd been officially dating now for six months, not including the previous six that Tara thought they were already dating. Things were going very well, and Bobby knew that if he was going to be with this woman forever, which he felt he just might, she needed to know.

"You okay?" Jack asked, making Bobby jump. His friend was studying him carefully from his desk.

"Yea. Just...anxious is all," Bobby answered.

"You haven't been gambling again have you?" Jack questioned, worried.

"No! Not at all. Actually, I'm debating when to tell Tara about it," Bobby told him. Jack raised a brow.

"You think that's a good idea?"

"I have to, mate. I love her, and if I want to marry her, she needs to know about all of me," Bobby explained.

"I guess you're right," Jack nodded. He still felt worried.

"How's Sue and the kidlets?" Bobby asked.

"Good. Her mother finally left. I've never known someone to drive my wife crazy as much as her mother does," Jack mused.

"That bad, huh?"

"She just has opinions about everything and vocalizes what she would do in Sue's position. It gets annoying after a while," Jack laughed.

"I bet."

"Hey, if you're not busy, would you be able to watch the twins for a bit tonight? I want to take Sue out for a break," Jack added.

"Yea, mate. I can do that," Bobby smiled. He loved spending time with his godchildren.

"Thanks," Jack grinned, relieved. He left to get a coffee when Tara came in.

"Hi," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey," he replied, eyes twinkling. "So, how do you feel about babysitting with me tonight?"

"I'd love to," Tara gushed. She adored the babies even more than Bobby did.

"Great. I'll meet you there."

"Sure!" Bobby grinned as he watched her head to her desk. He was a lucky man. He just needed to be brave enough to trust she wouldn't run once he told her his secret.

 **Booth**

"I have always wanted to do that," Brennan said, gasping for air. Booth was breathing just as hard.

"Have sex under your desk?" he asked, laughing.

"Just at work in general."

"I see."

"Angela and Hodgins do it all the time, and she's always smiling, so I wanted to try it," she explained. Booth laughed out loud at this. She really was a character sometimes. They heard a noise outside, and Booth jumped, startled, and cracked his head on the bottom of the desk.

"Owwwww," he mouthed, gripping his head. He wanted to shout in pain but held it in. Brennan scurried to button up her shirt and get out.

"Stay down there," she hissed, sitting in her chair just as Cam came in.

"Hi, Dr.-oh," Cam said, halting. Brennan smiled her best smile, but she had no idea that her hair looked like it had gone through a wind tunnel or that her shirt was buttoned up wrong.

"Yes, Cam?" she asked as if nothing was wrong. Cam eyed her up curiously.

"Just saying hello," she answered. "You took off last night, and I got worried."

"It's okay," Brennan reassured her. "I got tired and wanted to go home."

"Okay," Cam nodded slowly.

"Do you have a case for me?"

"No, no I don't," Cam replied.

"Can you tell me when there is? I'm busy with work here," Brennan told her. Cam stifled a laugh. She was clearly up to something, but she didn't want to ask. Some things she just didn't want to know.

"I will leave you to it," Cam said, bowing her head and stepping out of the office.

"That was close," Booth said, popping his head out from under the desk. He'd managed to get his tie back on and his shirt fixed. He groaned as he crawled out and stood up.

"So you agree with me that we should keep our relationship quiet from everyone?" Brennan asked hopefully. Booth looked at her. He really wanted to share it with the whole world, but if it made her feel better...

"I agree," he nodded.

"Just until I'm ready," Brennan promised.

"Okay."

 **Bobby**

"Hey, Tara," Bobby said suddenly. They were watching the twins, and Tara was cooing and playing with them.

"Yea?" she asked, looking up from what she was doing.

"I have something I need to tell you."

"Oh. Sounds serious," Tara said, putting her attention on him.

"It is," Bobby agreed. Tara set the one baby down beside the other, and she turned to face him, waiting. He took a deep breath. "I want to be honest with you because you're very important to me, and I don't want anything hidden from you."

"Okay."

"Tara, I...I have...I'm a..." Bobby trailed off. This was really hard to say. Tara waited patiently.

"It's okay," she interrupted. "I won't judge."

"I know you won't. That's what's so great about you," Bobby smiled. Then he grew serious. "Tara, I have a gambling addiction." He bit his lip as he waited for her response. Her face wasn't giving anything away.

"I know," she said. He froze. What?

"How?" he asked, confused. She looked embarrassed suddenly.

"One day I followed you because I was trying to get up the nerve to tell you I still had feelings for you, and I saw you go into a Gambler's Anonymous meeting," she finished.

"When?"

"About three years ago," she said, wincing.

"Wow," Bobby laughed. "You kept that quiet all this time?"

"I wanted to ask about it, but I figured it was a personal thing, and I shouldn't pry."

"So that means you were with Stanley still when you wanted to tell me you had feelings," Bobby mused. "What stopped you?"

"I was afraid," Tara admitted. "I didn't know if it was a good idea to be with a potential gambler. It was stupid, I know."

"Not stupid," Bobby reassured her. "But I promise you, I haven't gambled since February 2004. And before that, it was ten years. I'm not going back into that ever again."

"I know," she nodded. Bobby didn't know what to say. She had known all along and still took the chance to be with him. It was incredible.

"I love you," he blurted out, knowing it was the first time he said this to her. Her eyes softened and she moved in closer.

"I love you too," she replied, kissing him deeply.

 **December 2007**

"Another Santa Bandit eh?" Bobby chuckled. "Did I ever tell you the time..."

"Yes, you did. In great detail," Booth cut him off.

"Oh. Right," Bobby laughed. "Sorry. So what do you need help with?"

"Bones doesn't want to have Christmas with her family," Booth blurted out.

"Really?"

"No, and it's frustrating me. Christmas is time with family not going off to some foreign place to look at dead people."

"Why doesn't she want to?"

"Cos her father is a con man who's in jail, and her brother is in jail for skipping out on his parole officer in order to escape being murdered," Booth explained. Bobby blinked at him. "It's a lot to process I know."

"Con man father," Bobby mused. "Did I tell you-?"

"That your dad was a con man who you tried to have a relationship with and then he died? Yes, you did," Booth said.

"Damn. I've just about told you everything about me then," Bobby grinned. "So what are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna try to convince her to be with her family, that's what," Booth said, getting up. He tossed a few bills down for his half of the lunch.

"Good luck!" Bobby called after him.

 **Later-Booth**

"Hey, Bones," Booth said. "Look, you gotta-what's going on?" He took in Brennan putting up a mistletoe while chewing gum.

"Caroline is going to help me get my Dad his dream Christmas, but I have to kiss you in order to get it," she explained. Booth stared.

"What?"

"Caroline is feeling puckish."

"Okay, well, I mean, I don't mind, but we're gonna have to not look like we enjoy it," Booth laughed nervously. They had been so careful at not getting caught.

"I don't think she'll notice," Brennan scoffed. She climbed down off the chair, looking at the mistletoe to make sure it was hanging properly.

"I hope you're right," Booth said. Caroline came in then, and she congratulated Booth on having a suspect in his Santa case.

"You talked to the judge?" Brennan asked.

"I sure did. How about your end?" Caroline pointed. Brennan gestured to the mistletoe. "Oh, would you look at that. Mistletoe." She looked over at Booth. "You step a little to your right, and you'll be right under that little sprig." Booth gave her a look of disbelief before Brennan grabbed him and pulled him under, kissing him passionately. When they stopped, Caroline's jaw was almost on the floor.

"Was that enough steamboats?" Brennan asked.

"Uh huh," Caroline nodded absently. "The trailers are all arranged. Have a good Christmas, cherie." She walked away still in a daze. Booth started laughing when she was gone.

"Do you think she figured it out?" Brennan asked nervously.

"No. She has no clue," he answered, giving her another kiss. "I gotta get back to the forensic guy."

"Okay. I'll see you later," she winked. He walked out of her office feeling giddy.

 **The Next Day-Bobby**

The office Christmas party was in full swing when his phone rang. Bobby broke away from the conversation with Jack, Dimitrius, and Myles to answer. Tara was with Lucy and Donna, Dimitrius' wife, cooing over Sue and the babies.

"Manning."

"Hey, it's me," Booth said. "I need a favor."

* * *

"You always keep a spare tree lying around?" Booth asked while Bobby was pulling it out from his storage locker.

"Well, it was used while my biological father was in jail before they stopped allowing trees in the trailers," Bobby explained. "Then he died not long after, and I didn't have the heart to take the tree apart you know? It was our last memory together." He handed it over to Booth. Parker was watching, excited. The scamp had run away to avoid going to Vermont with Rebecca and her boyfriend, so Booth had him for the evening.

"This is great," Booth said. "She'll love it."

"Need help setting it up?"

"Nah. Parker and I got it," Booth said.

"Merry Christmas, Booth," Bobby said, giving him a sideways hug. "And Parker." He ruffled the boy's hair.

"Merry Christmas, Bobby," Booth replied, grinning. "Got your gift ready?"

"Yea. You sure it's not cheesy?"

"No. She'll love it."

* * *

"Get it all sorted out?" Tara asked when Bobby returned.

"Yea," he answered.

"He's so sweet," Tara smiled. "Dr. Brennan is a lucky gal."

"That she is," Bobby grinned. "Hey, come with me for a moment." He pulled her away from the group, and they went down to an abandoned room. He closed the door behind them.

"Should I be worried?" she asked, joking.

"Not at all. I had this really great thing all planned out, but I can't wait any longer, and I feel the time is right," Bobby said. Tara watched him, interested.

"Okay," she nodded, encouraging him.

"Tara, you are the love of my life. I don't see any other future that doesn't include you. I want to spend forever making you happy," Bobby started. He knelt on one knee and pulled out the ring. "Tara, will you marry me?" Tara stared at it for a second, registering what he just said.

"Yes!" she cried, dropping to her knees in front of him. He slid on the ring, and she kissed him heartily. Bobby felt like his heart was going to burst. This was the best Christmas ever.

* * *

"Hey, Bones, I got you a gift. Look out the window," Booth said after they exchanged Merry Christmases. He saw her flick open the blinds.

"A tree," she gasped. Booth could hear the voices of Russ' girls exclaiming about the tree. Then all their faces were at the window. Booth met Brennan's eyes, and he could see them shining from there.

"I love my gift, Booth," she said.

"Merry Christmas, Bones," he replied. He knew she was getting closer to saying those words he so badly wanted to hear, but he knew it wasn't time yet. He only hoped she would feel brave enough to tell him soon.

* * *

 **I know I said I would have more flashbacks, but I couldn't fit them in with this chapter, so I'll try again for the next. I wanted to just have a chapter where everyone was happy for once lol. I will be surging ahead and skipping most of season 3 in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**May 5, 2008**

"So you're not allowed to work with Dr. Brennan at all until this trial is over?" Bobby asked. They were walking the halls of the FBI building, and Booth had just finished telling him what Caroline had said.

"That's what I said," Booth replied.

"Man, that's rough. She's really okay with the fact that you arrested her father?"

"Seems to be. Sweets thinks it's weird," Booth answered.

"Well, Sweets is weird too," Bobby laughed. He'd seen the psychologist running around the building a few times. He looked a kid fresh out of high school.

"Agreed," Booth said. "So what am I gonna do? I mean, we're secretly dating, and she has all of her friends, Sweets, and myself going against her father. I don't know how to deal with this."

"Look, if she's all right, then she's all right," Bobby reassured him. "She understands it was your job to arrest him. He murdered the deputy director of the FBI for crying out loud." They were in the break room now, and Booth was pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"I'm just worried deep down she resents me," Booth expressed.

"She doesn't seem like the resenting type," Bobby mused.

"Let's change the subject now, huh? When is the big day?" Booth asked, referring to Bobby and Tara's wedding.

"Next May. We're taking things slow," Bobby replied.

"Wow are you ever," Booth snorted. "Why so long?"

"Getting to know each other. Marriage is a commitment you know. I take it very seriously."

"That's good, but haven't you two known each other for, like, eight years already?"

"Yes, but in a professional way. We still have a lot to learn about each other personally," Bobby replied.

"I see."

"Hey, Bobby!" Jack called. "Come on, we gotta go!"

"Duty calls," Bobby smirked, clapping Booth's shoulder. "Good luck!"

 **The Next Day-Booth**

It was the first day of trial. Booth kept craning his neck and looking for Brennan. He hated this whole thing. Everyone did. Angela was the only one who was verbally denying going on the stand. God knew Booth wanted to. His bet was Angela would end up in jail before this day was over. He finally spied her across the aisle from him with her brother, Russ. She met his eyes and gave him a sad smile. To his surprise, the courtroom doors opened and shut, and Bobby came strolling down and sat down beside Brennan. Booth watched Bobby whisper something into her ear, and he saw her look surprised and grateful. He wondered what Bobby had said.

"All rise."

Booth stood with the others. He looked over at Bobby, who winked at him. Then they sat down again.

"Prosecution, begin your opening statement," the judge said after his speech about being the next best thing to God. Booth tuned out Caroline's speech. She was very good at what she did. He hoped her ex husband was better for Brennan's sake. Cam elbowed him when he looked over at Brennan for the tenth time.

"Stop," she hissed. "It looks bad."

"All right," he whispered back.

The defense started and finished their statement when Brennan whispered his name loudly.

"What?" Booth asked.

"I could so be objective," she said.

"I know. Shhhh."

He caught the judge giving him a stern look, so he straightened up in his seat. Bobby was smirking. After the opening statements, the judge called for a twenty minute recess. Out in the hall, Booth noticed Bobby was sitting with Brennan. He brought a coffee over to her.

"Gimme a minute?" he asked Bobby.

"Sure." Bobby got up and walked to the other side of the hall.

"We aren't supposed to talk," Brennan said.

"About the case," Booth explained. "We can talk about lousy coffee. Here you go." He passed her the cup. "Hold it in front of your lips when you talk."

"I didn't see Angela," Brennan said.

"She's not testifying."

"Why not?"

"Because she's your best friend."

"Well, you and I are sleeping together, and you don't mind."

"I mind. We all do, except for Zack."

"That's cos he's thinking clearly. Hodgins asked me for permission for goodness' sake. What is wrong with everyone?"

"It's not about what's wrong. It's about what's right."

"Hey, hey, cut that out," Caroline ordered, spotting them.

"Court reconvenes in 30 seconds," the court deputy said.

"Why is Bobby here?" Booth asked quickly as they stood.

"He said because you couldn't support me, he would," she answered. Booth felt warmly towards Bobby then.

"Well, you're gonna need it."

"Why?"

"Cos I'm the first person on the prosecution's witness list," Booth answered as they went back into the courtroom.

 **Bobby**

He had to admit, the Jeffersonian team was doing a very good job at making Max Keenan look guilty of this murder. Even though Brennan was displaying a tough exterior, he could sense she was breaking a little inside as each of her friends hammered a nail into her father's coffin. Then, it was Angela's turn.

"I will not answer," she said after Caroline asked her a question.

"You are under oath as a material witness, Ms. Montenegro," Caroline said.

"I swore to tell the truth, and the truth is, I have nothing to say," Angela said firmly. Bobby was very worried for her.

"Judge, could you...?" Caroline asked.

"The witness will answer," the judge said.

"No, the witness will not," Angela said stubbornly.

"Angela! Answer!" Brennan shouted. Bobby put his hand on her knee to prevent her from standing up.

"Silence, please," the judge ordered. "The witness will answer or be held in contempt."

"Any way I could talk you out of that?" Angela asked him.

"Why would you call up a witness who won't talk?" the judge asked Caroline.

"Cos I thought when she saw your scary face, she'd change her mind," Caroline answered.

"I'm taking the Fifth," Angela said.

"The Fifth is used when you don't want to incriminate yourself," Caroline pointed out.

"All right, then I'm taking the First, which protects freedom of association, right? That means it protects friendship. So I'm taking the First, which is better than the Fifth anyway."

"There is no friendship in a homicide trial. This is the Federal District Court of Columbia, United States of America. When it asks you a question, you answer or else pay the ferryman," the judge told Angela.

"Not gonna happen," Angela said, crossing her arms.

"Angie, they aren't kidding around," Hodgins said to her, worried.

"Bones, now is the time to speak up," Booth hissed at her.

"What?"

"He's the ferryman!"

"Ange, just so you know, he's the ferryman!" Brennan shouted. Bobby winced.

"I will clear this courtroom if I hear another word," the judge growled.

"Thanks a lot, Booth," Brennan shot at him.

"I find this witness in contempt. She will be incarcerated until she answers the question that was posed by the People."

"Angela, please!" Brennan shouted as they cuffed Angela.

"Sit," Bobby ordered, yanking her down before she got thrown in court jail too.

"Sweetie," Angela said. "This is one of those times when I know what's right and everyone else is confused." Then she was gone. Bobby had to give her credit for her gall. It was impressive. Brennan was visibly upset now.

"She'll be all right," Bobby murmured into her ear. He hoped for Brennan's sake that he was right.

* * *

"I did not see that coming," Bobby said to Booth as they adjourned court.

"Me either," Booth nodded. Zack misidentified the weapon. How often did that happen? Now Booth had to be the bad guy and go find it at Brennan's apartment.

"Any way I could convince you to let me do it?" Bobby asked.

"You can't. This is my case. Now I have to finish it," Booth sighed.

"See you back in court," Bobby said, patting his shoulder.

 **Booth**

He hated seeing Brennan upset. He knew she had been excited at the idea of her father going free. It was all over her face. Now Zack was searching the apartment for the real weapon. Booth almost hoped the kid wouldn't find it.

"It's okay to want your father to beat a murder charge," he told her. He very much wanted to hold her right now.

"But this is what I do for a living. I put murderers away. We both know he did it," Brennan said.

"Today, you aren't Dr. Brennan. You're just Temperance."

"I don't know what that means."

"Put the science brain into neutral and pop your heart into overdrive," he said, demonstrating. She chuckled.

"I appreciate your efforts," she said. He gave her a lopsided smile.

"Found it," Zack said. Booth's heart sank.

"I'm sorry, Bones," he said to her.

"It's okay," she said. "Go do your job."

 **The Next Day**

Bobby watched as the defense started portraying Brennan as the bogeyman. He was mightily impressed. She really did love her father. He saw Booth's expression, and he knew his friend was hating what Brennan was doing, that he hated answering questions that started pointing a finger at her.

"Bones was with me all day," Booth said after the defense lawyer stopped asking questions.

"All day? How did your son get home from school?"

Bobby could see the expression on Booth's face, and it was defeat.

"We were apart forty five minutes, but we talked on the phone," he said.

"Plenty of time, right Agent Booth? It's plenty of time to commit a murder. She could have burned the body after you were safely at home."

"The witness will answer," the judge prompted. Booth was staring directly at Brennan.

"That's a lot of heart, Bones," he said softly. Bobby couldn't help but smile.

"Answer the question please, Agent Booth," the judge said more sharply.

"I've worked with this woman, stood over death with her as well as faced death with her. Sweets is wrong. She could not have done this."

"I didn't ask your opinion," the defense lawyer said. "I asked you if she had time."

Bobby felt Brennan stiffen beside her and noticed she was staring at Booth and sending a direct message: tell the truth.

"Yes," Booth said finally. "She had time."

"The jury has reached a verdict."

Booth stood to leave, and Bobby followed him.

"What do you think?"

"He's free," Booth answered. He knew it was true. He walked out and saw Brennan on the steps, and he went directly to her and embraced her tightly. The rest of her friends came out and hugged her too. Bobby stood off to the side, watching. He could easily see how much Brennan was loved, so what held her back from loving in return? Or did she just not know how to show it? Bobby turned when Russ and Max passed him, and Brennan flung her arms around her father's neck and held on tight while Russ rubbed her back. Booth and Brennan shared a look between them as she hugged her father. Bobby smiled to himself. They were gonna be all right.

 **May 12, 2008**

"You shouldn't have touched her," Sweets berated Booth as they walked down the halls.

"It was nothing," Booth said dismissively.

"No, not nothing. She's delusional. She will put her affections onto you now," Sweets argued.

"What's up?" Bobby asked, walking in on the conversation. He was on his way to do a different task but couldn't help listen in.

"Booth touched a psychotic woman, and now she's going to stalk him," Sweets answered.

"Pfft, you watch too many horror movies," Booth scoffed.

"I dunno, mate, he might be right," Bobby said.

"He's not. Who's side are you on anyway?" Booth asked, affronted. Bobby just lifted his shoulders in a "who's to say" kind of way.

"I'm telling you, I'm right," Sweets said, having the last word before leaving.

"Just watch your back eh, Booth?" Bobby said.

"Yea, yea," Booth said. The whole notion was ridiculous. He would know if he was being stalked. Honestly.

 **Later-Bobby**

"How do you feel about karaoke?" Bobby asked Tara. She scrunched her face up.

"I've never done it," she admitted.

"What?!" Bobby yelped. "Never?!"

"You don't know what you're missing," Myles said, eavesdropping.

"You've done it?" Tara asked, impressed.

"Oh yes. Some say I could be an Elvis impersonator," Myles bragged.

"Oh, that I have to see," Bobby said.

"Why the sudden interest in singing?" Jack asked, overhearing them.

"Booth's got a case where a rising star at a karaoke bar was murdered. He's been spending some time there, and I'm trying to get him to sing. I thought it'd be fun if Tara came too."

"I don't do crowds well," Tara said, wincing.

"We'll all go," Lucy piped up.

"I can't," Jack said. "Babies, remember?"

"Right," Lucy said.

"Donna and I could watch them for you," Dimitrius offered.

"It's okay, thanks," Jack said, giving him a look. He really didn't want to go singing. D got the message.

"When and where?" Myles asked. Bobby gave them the information.

"I'll see you tonight!" he called, heading out the door.

 **Evening**

It was a great evening. Bobby had Tara up doing a duet. Myles had shown off his Elvis skills. Lucy had taken a crack at it as well. Cam, Hodgins, Zack, Angela, Sweets, and Booth were there as well. They were waiting for Brennan. She showed up looking harried.

"Why did you call me here?" she asked Booth.

"Cos you need to sing in front of a live audience," he said. "It's innate, Bones."

"No way," she shook her head.

"I've got the music and the frivolity. What else do you need?" he asked. The piano man started playing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," and Brennan got a smile on her face.

"There it is!" Booth cheered.

"Go Dr. B!" Hodgins shouted. The others clapped and whistled.

"It's a good idea to let go once in a while, Dr. Brennan," Sweets urged.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'll be singing 'Lime in Da Coconut' after you," he smiled. "Let go. Have fun." Brennan smiled, and the others pushed her up onto the stage. She grabbed the microphone and started singing.

"Wow, she's really good," Tara said to Bobby, holding his hand tightly. She was having so much fun. Bobby was too. He could tell Booth was really enjoying himself. He wondered when those two would share they were in a relationship. Booth pulled out his lighter and was practically bouncing in his seat as Brennan kept singing. Bobby was laughing.

"Seeley!" a voice shouts over the noise. Bobby heard it and swung his head around. He didn't see her at first until she shouted again.

"SEELEY!"

Booth finally turned.

"I'm doing this for us," Pam Nunan said. She went to aim at Brennan, and Booth, seeing her do this, immediately went between Brennan and Pam, who fired the gun. Booth was struck in the chest, and he stumbled. Bobby drew his weapon, training it on Pam, but Brennan was faster. When Pam went to fire again, Brennan shot her right in the throat. Bobby and Myles rushed over to Pam, seeing that she was dead. Bobby whirled his head over to see Booth lying on the ground with Brennan over him.

"Zack, call 911!" Hodgins shouted. Zack hurried to do so.

"Booth, come on!" Brennan was crying. Bobby shoved people out of the way to get to them. He knelt down beside her.

"Keep pressure on," he instructed. She did as she was told.

"Booth, you're gonna make it. Come on, Booth!"

"Booth, stay with us!" Bobby shouted.

"Booth!" Brennan was crying now. Booth's eyes slid shut as she kept screaming his name.

* * *

Bobby sat beside Booth's bed, his head resting on his hand. It had been a long, exhausting night. He was the only one allowed in here. The staff wouldn't allow Brennan to see him. In fact, they had told her that Seeley Booth had died. Being part of the FBI, Bobby was the only person there aside from Sweets who knew what was going on. It had been decided that Booth fake his death in order to get a shot at one of his older targets. It seemed like a good idea, but Bobby hoped for God's sake that someone told Brennan. She had been hysterical.

"Hey, buddy," Bobby said when Booth opened his eyes. "Good to have you back."

"What happened?" Booth asked. Bobby filled him in. Booth immediately tried to sit up.

"Whoa, whoa," Bobby said, laughing. "You're not going anywhere. You're dead, remember?"

"Bones. She knows right? Someone told her?" Booth was frantic.

"Relax. You're to write a list of names of who's to know you're still alive. You can put her on it."

"Thank God," Booth said, lying back down.

"You're gonna come stay with me until this is over," Bobby said.

"All right. Is the crazy lady dead?"

"Yea. Brennan shot her in the throat. She has impeccable aim."

"I know."

"You had us all worried, though. Brave thing you did, jumping in front of her like that."

"I love her. Of course I'd do that," Booth snorted. "Wouldn't you?"

"I definitely would without a question," Bobby nodded. "I wasn't saying it was a bad thing."

"Can I get out of here now?"

"They just have to assess you. Then you can come home with me."

"All right. But Bones, she'll know soon, right?"

"Yes, Booth. I will tell her myself if nobody else does."

 **The Next Day**

"Hey, Agent Manning?" Sweets called, flagging him down.

"Yea?"

"I understand you have the list of names of the people Booth is informing he's still alive?"

"I do."

"I can do it."

"Why?" Bobby asked, suspicious.

"Because I was assigned to do it. You're not in Booth's unit. I am."

"I can be trusted to make some phone calls," Bobby laughed.

"It's just protocol. I have to do it. I'm sorry."

Bobby hesitated before handing it over.

"You'll make sure Dr. Brennan knows he's alive?"

"Yes, I promise."

"You swear to me," Bobby said. "Booth will kill you and me if you don't."

"I swear I will tell her," Sweets said, crossing his heart. Bobby felt unsure, but it was out of his hands now.

"I'll come after you if you don't," Bobby warned.

"Duly noted," Sweets nodded.

 **May 19, 2008**

Bobby was standing at Booth's "funeral" when he saw Brennan approach with Angela. He knew immediately that Brennan had not been told that Booth was still alive. He looked over at Sweets, who avoided his gaze. That little shrink. He had promised to tell her. Bobby was furious. She was going to be so pissed off when she found out. Booth was going to be pissed at Bobby for not keeping his word. Who knew you couldn't trust a psychologist?! Sweets was a dead man, and he knew it.

"I would have happily taken the bullet," Brennan said to Angela loudly after Caroline's eulogy. Bobby winced inside. Stupid, stupid Sweets.

"Standby."

Bobby scanned the officers. He could see Booth at the other end.

"At ease."

The guy they were looking for showed up and was heading right for the coffin.

"Aim."

Booth shoved Hodgins and Zack out of the way, tackling the man to the ground.

"What the hell is going on?" Angela asked, sounding furious.

By now, the casket was knocked over, and a dummy fell out.

"They appear to be fighting," Zack noted. Booth and the man continued to wrestle as Brennan walked up, grabbed the arm of the dummy, and knocked the guy out with it.

"Nice shot, Bones!" Booth exclaimed happily. She advanced on him and promptly punched him in the face. Then she walked away. Bobby was holding in his laughter. It was just like a comedy show. Booth was groaning and holding his jaw.

"What happened?" he asked Bobby, who had moved to stand next to him.

"She wasn't told," Bobby answered. Booth glared at him.

"You promised!"

"It was taken out of my hands by Dr. Sweets. He said I had no authority as I wasn't in your unit. He was."

"That little..." Booth growled.

"We'll pay him a visit later," Bobby promised. "Right now, you need to talk to Brennan."

"Right. I'll see you later," Booth said, rushing off. He had to talk to her before it was too late.

* * *

 **Those two episodes were my favorites out of season 3 as well as the baby in the bough, but I didn't want to drag out season 3. I will be jumping ahead a bit more of course. Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey!" Bobby called as Sweets tried to slink away unnoticed. Sweets picked up his pace, so Bobby went into a full out run. Sweets tried to hide in a store, but Bobby cornered him.

"Don't hurt me!" Sweets shouted, cowering. Bobby stood there glowering at him. His fists clenched and unclenched. Yes, he wanted to slug this kid who thought that messing with people's hearts was a good idea, but Bobby wasn't a violent man.

"As much as you have it coming to you, I'm not gonna touch you," Bobby said evenly. Sweets lowered his hands and looked at him.

"You're not?"

"No. I'm leaving that up to Booth and Dr. Brennan. You had no right to do what you did," Bobby glared.

"I know, I know. It was for research. Sometimes we have to do things that don't seem right to get answers..."

"Oh, cut the crap," Bobby scoffed. "Research or not, you almost destroyed a relationship, if you haven't already!" Sweets paled.

"You don't think...?" he started.

"That Dr. Brennan might never speak to Booth again? It's highly likely," Bobby finished. "And all because of you."

"I gotta explain to them..."

"What? That you treated them like lab rats? No, that will only get you beat up," Bobby cut him off.

"I was trying to make Dr. Brennan see that she has feelings for Booth," Sweets said loudly. "The two of them dance around each other, and it drives me insane.

They love each other. Don't you agree?"

"I do, but why not just leave it to them?" Bobby asked. "Why meddle? You've made things so much worse."

"I see that now," Sweets said, wringing his hands. "I have to fix this."

"Stay out of it," Bobby warned. "You've already done enough." He turned to leave, not looking back to see Sweets wiping sweat off his brow.

 **Booth**

"Bones!" Booth shouted, banging on her door. "Come on! I need to talk to you!"

"Leave me alone!" she shouted back. He rested his forehead on the door, frustrated. Damn it all to hell.

"I didn't do this on purpose!" he tried. "They were supposed to tell you..." The door being flung open stopped him in his tracks. Since it had been his support at the time, he lost his balance and fell face first into the apartment. Brennan dodged him, leaving him to land heavily on the floor.

"You could have told me yourself," Brennan said coldly. Booth got up on his knees slowly, rubbing his head.

"I wasn't allowed to," he argued. "Bobby promised me he would tell you..."

"Well, he didn't."

"Because Sweets took over the duty," Booth finished, finally standing up. "This is Sweets' fault. It's got his experimental game written all over it." He stared Brennan in the eye. "I would never intentionally hurt you like this." Brennan crossed her arms, trying not to show that she was caving. It was difficult to stay angry at Booth when he was giving her that look.

"Why would he do such a thing?" she asked after a few moments.

"I have no idea. To make you realize you love me or something? To make you deal with loss and grief? Who knows? I do know this, I love you, and I put you as number one on the list to know the truth," Booth explained.

"I want to see it," Brennan said.

"What, the list?"

"Yes."

"I'll get it from Sweets," Booth promised.

"I'll go with you," she said.

"Right now?"

"Yes, now."

 **Bobby**

"The shrink did that?" Jack asked, horrified. He'd want to beat up the man if he had done that to him and Sue. Bobby nodded.

"Yea. He was doing it for what he thought was a good reason, but he shouldn't have done it," Bobby concluded.

"Do you think it'll break them up?" Jack questioned. He hoped not. He liked Booth.

"I don't know," Bobby answered quietly. He looked over at Tara, who was busy with work. She hadn't attended the "funeral" with him since she knew Booth had been living at Bobby's place. She felt his gaze and looked up, smiling at him. He could not wait to marry her.

 **Booth**

They practically crashed into Sweet's office where they found him sitting there as though he had been waiting.

"Hi guys," he said timidly.

"How dare you," Brennan cut him off. "How dare you meddle with personal lives and feelings?!"

"I'm sorry," Sweets started.

"I'm not done," Brennan interrupted. Sweets pinched his lips together. "You used me for an experiment without my permission. When we said you could study us, we did not mean for you to play with our hearts and emotions. That was very unprofessional and very uncalled for." She stopped talking then, shaking with anger. Sweets watched her carefully.

"Can I talk now?" he asked.

"No, it's my turn," Booth answered. "I made a list, and I want to show her as proof that she was the first person to know what was going on. I trusted you with that information. What made you think for even a second that this was a good idea?!"

"I was trying to show Dr. Brennan that she had feelings for you," Sweets blurted out. "That's all."

"Well, that's one hell of a way to do it," Booth snapped.

"I did not care for the way it made me feel at all," Brennan added. "I find myself wanting to strike you right now."

"Please don't. I failed. I'm sorry. You're right. I shouldn't have done it. I just am so tired of seeing you two avoiding the obvious. I was trying to help," Sweets said, exasperated.

"That is up to us to figure out, not you," Brennan said firmly.

"The list, Sweets," Booth reminded him. "Now." Sweets opened his desk drawer and dug out the piece of paper. He handed it over to Booth, avoiding looking at either of them.

"Here, see?" Booth said, showing her. "Right here. Your name. Underlined twice and circled."

"I see it," Brennan said quietly. She felt her anger at Booth slipping away a little.

"Guys, I care about you both," Sweets piped up. "I only did this to help you. I'm sorry that it hurt you."

"Next time, follow instructions," Booth ordered. Sweets nodded meekly. They turned to leave.

"Are we still going to have sessions?" Sweets asked tentatively. Booth looked at Brennan.

"Not right away," she answered. "We're still mad at you."

"Fair enough," Sweets said, relieved. At least it wasn't a flat out "no."

"You saw the proof," Booth said once they were out of earshot. "Does that help you to not be so mad at me?" He saw a flicker of a smile on her lips.

"A little," she agreed. He stopped walking, taking her hands in his.

"Booth, what are you doing?" she asked. "We're at your office..."

"We're still partners," he dismissed. "Look, clearly the guy was trying to help us with something we already figured out. Can you blame him for trying?"

"His method was incorrect and damaging," Brennan argued.

"Agreed, but the intent was there."

"You're forgiving him then?"

"Partially. I'm still mad at him too," Booth grinned. She smiled back.

"So, what do we do from here? Do we tell people?"

"Nah. Let him sweat for a while thinking he ruined our chances," Booth winked.

"I like it," Brennan agreed. They continued walking out of the building.

"Coffee?" Booth asked.

"Sounds great."

 **A Few Weeks Later**

 **Bobby**

He sat in the back of the meeting, watching a newcomer stand on shaky legs and start telling her story. It reminded him of Booth all those years ago. Bobby looked around for Booth, but he hadn't arrived yet. Bobby hoped he would come. He knew how difficult things had been with Zack turning out to be an apprentice for a serial killer. Bobby knew that stress was a trigger for Booth.

"Hey," Booth said, sliding in beside him. "Sorry I'm late."

"Just glad you're here," Bobby replied. Booth sipped his coffee and winced.

"Are they ever gonna get the good stuff?" he complained.

"It's why I bring my own," Bobby said, jiggling his cup in his hand, showing off the logo.

"Damn, why didn't I think of that?" Booth muttered. They listened to the woman sharing for a while.

"How's Brennan?" Bobby asked quietly.

"She's taking this hard. She's gone to visit Zack a few times. I don't know if that's helping or making it worse," Booth replied.

"And you?"

"I can't bring myself to go see him right now."

"It might help."

"I doubt it. The guy helped another guy kill people and eat them."

"He was misguided."

"He's a freaking genius. He knew what he was doing."

"He was manipulated. Hasn't that ever happened to you?"

"Not by a serial killer!"

"Ahem!" the facilitator coughed, giving both of them a glare. They noticed that everyone was staring at them, and the woman up front was crying.

"So sorry," Bobby apologized. "Carry on." The facilitator gave one last glare before turning back to the woman and encouraging her to continue.

"I can't do this," Booth said, getting up.

"Where are you going?"

"For a drink."

"You're displacing..."

"I am SO sorry that my life is beyond uninteresting that you can't even stay and hear it," the woman finally snapped into the microphone. Bobby winced. Booth halted in his tracks.

"That's not it at all," Booth reassured her.

"Then what? What is it about me that makes you want to just take off and not even listen?" the woman asked, crying again.

"It's nothing to do with you," Booth said. "It's personal. I've suffered a loss, and I know I shouldn't have even come here tonight knowing that I couldn't sit and take on everyone else's troubles on top of mine just yet. I'm sorry." He went out the door then, and the woman went back to her seat. The lady beside her reached out and rubbed her back slowly. Bobby made a note to talk to her after the meeting. He also made a note to check in on Booth. He hoped the guy wouldn't do anything stupid.

 **Booth**

"I need to see him," Booth insisted.

"Sir, it's almost nine at night. We don't allow..."

"I don't care. I need to see him right now," Booth said, getting worked up. "Just this once." The receptionist eyed him carefully.

"Fine, but just this one time," she sighed, letting him in. She led him down to a room, and Booth felt chilled suddenly.

"You wait here. I'll bring him to you," she said. Booth fidgeted with his fingers to pass the time.

"Here we are," her voice said, making Booth look up to see Zack standing there looking at him curiously.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. He sounded tired. He looked exhausted.

"I'm just out here," the receptionist said, gesturing. Then they were alone.

"I needed to see you," Booth said.

"Why?"

"Cos dammit, kid, I can't believe this has happened, and I'm struggling to not lose all progress I've made because I keep thinking that if I had just paid more attention to you, this whole thing could have been averted," Booth said, sighing heavily. Zack sat down across from him, resting his arms on the table.

"I don't think you could have changed anything," Zack said softly.

"What if I could have? Huh? What if I had involved you more in my life? Made you a friend? Instead, I kept you at arm's length and ignored your attempts of bonding."

"Have you been talking to Sweets?" Zack asked.

"Not really," Booth shook his head. "I'm still mad at him. This is just my revelation."

"I don't think it would have mattered, Booth," Zack said after a moment. "The man's logic seemed sound to me at the time. I already considered you a friend, and I still did it."

"Oh, God," Booth said, trying not to choke up. Zack reached out and put his hand over Booth's.

"None of this is anyone's fault but mine," Zack assured him. "Don't beat yourself up over something you had no control over. Dr. Brennan had the same concerns, and I gave her this same speech."

"She's heartbroken, Zack," Booth started.

"And she has you to get her through it," Zack finished. "She told me."

"About what?"

"About you two. I kind of sensed it anyway. She does love you, Booth, I can see it. Look, I'm in here. You can visit anytime. I've learned my lesson and am paying debt to society. I'm not who I was. Not anymore. Take comfort in that."

"Okay," Booth nodded.

"Go home. Get some sleep, and don't worry about me," Zack said.

"Did you really do it?" Booth asked. He had to know because he believed Zack didn't do it. Something in Zack's face told him that his hunch was right.

"I'd rather not discuss this anymore if that's all right," Zack answered. "I would like to go back to my room now." The receptionist came on cue, and Zack left the room without a look backwards. Booth didn't really feel any better than he had when he came in.

 **Bobby**

He found Booth standing in the entrance of the pool hall.

"Staring addiction down in the face?" he asked, leaning against the door frame. Booth didn't answer right away.

"It's so easy," he said finally. "To go in there and forget about the world. To let the game take your mind off of everything. It was the one thing my Dad taught me to do that was fun. Pool."

"It's fine to play the game, Booth. It's not fine to bet on it when you're a gambler," Bobby replied. "We can play a game if it makes you think of good times. We don't have to place bets."

"It's hard to do that here with other guys around thinking they're better than me," Booth told him.

"Then I know a place we can go," Bobby said, punching Booth's arm. "Come on."

...

"Hey," Jack said, opening the door and seeing them standing there. "What's up?"

"Can we borrow your pool table?" Bobby asked. Jack gave him a questioning look but didn't voice anything.

"Sure," he agreed. "It's downstairs." He led them down to where it was set up. Booth waved to Sue, who was rocking in the living room with a baby in her arms.

"Wow," Booth whistled, seeing the table. "This is a classic."

"It's my Dad's," Jack answered. Booth felt something shift inside him then.

"We are gonna have a game," Bobby said, breaking into Booth's thoughts. "Cos it's going to take our minds off of stressful things. Right, Booth?"

"Right," Booth nodded. He held the stick in his hands, flashing back to when his father showed him how to take a shot.

"You break," Bobby gestured. And he did. And it all came rushing back, but at the same time, it cleared his mind from thinking about Zack and gambling. For once, he actually enjoyed the game of pool just as it was.

* * *

 **I wanted to add in the Zack piece because I feel like they would have needed to confront it more than they did on the show. I also thought it could be used as a trigger for Booth. I don't know if Booth's dad really did show him how to play pool, but I thought it would contribute to the addiction as well. Anyhow, thanks for reading and reviewing! I am doing a bit of a time jump in the next chapter.**


	10. Chapter 10

**February 5, 2009**

Bobby

"Bobby?"

"Mm?"

"What do you think?" Tara came out around the corner in her dress. Bobby whistled appreciatively.

"Very, very nice," he said, nodding.

"Yea?"

"Oh yea. You'll be the hottest one there," he grinned. They were invited to Dr. Brennan's big night via Booth and were at Tara's place getting ready. The last few months Booth had been bringing Brennan around to hang out with him, and she and Tara did actually get along fairly well.

"You're not too bad looking yourself," Tara smiled, hugging him.

"Don't want to be late," Bobby said, grabbing his keys. "You ready?"

"Let's do it," she agreed.

 **Booth**

It was dark. He felt like he couldn't breathe. What was happening to him?! Then he remembered. The door opened and he was hit hard and fast. It went dark. He woke up in a small container. It had the Gravedigger written all over it. He started kicking at the container lid. He was not going to die in here.

 **Bobby**

"Odd that they're this late," Bobby commented, looking at his watch. Tara fidgeted with her handbag.

"You don't think something's happened, do you?" she asked. Bobby went into deep thought. He knew the whole Gravedigger case was still open, and that Booth had mentioned something about missing evidence earlier that day.

"Let me just call Dr. Brennan," Bobby said. He went to a quiet place to make the call, and when she picked up, he knew something was wrong.

"Bobby, he's been taken," she cried. "We can't alert the authorities he'll be killed."

"Shit," Bobby said. "Okay, I'll be right there. Where are you?"

"At Booth's place. Bobby, what are we going to do?"

"Just stay calm. I'll be right there." He hung up and went to get Tara.

"What happened?" she asked, seeing his face.

"We gotta go. Now," Bobby answered. She ran behind him to the car.

"Is he hurt?"

"No, he's been kidnapped and buried alive."

 **Booth**

He looked around him. He was in the bottom of what looked like a ship. He surveyed everything he could see. He had to get out. He found a door and rushed to it. Then, having heard something, he whipped around.

"Who's there?"

"Only the best buddy you ever had," a voice said. "Your words, not mine." A figure stood in the light beam.

"Teddy?" Booth asked, incredulous.

"The one and only," Teddy grinned.

 **Bobby**

He took in the mess. He could only imagine what went on in this room.

"This feels too familiar," Tara whispered. Bobby nodded. They had had one of their own get kidnapped before by a leader of a religious cult called Mind Profit. Bobby remembered the fear he felt as he and Jack had searched all over for Sue.

 **March 13, 2005**

"Malcolm has Sue," Jack said, hanging up the phone. "We gotta go talk to Lily." Bobby, Dimitrius, Myles, and Jack rushed out of the office to meet Lily. Once there, Bobby watched as Jack tried to get Lily to tell him where Sue was taken. He felt sick himself. This whole Mind Profit cult was creepy, and he didn't like to think about what Malcolm could do to Sue. It had all started with a woman named Lily that Sue wanted to help, so she had joined Mind Profit to get inside and get better information. Now, it looked like the leader, Malcolm, had found her out.

"Tell me where she is right now," Jack demanded.

"What Malcolm is doing is for her own good," Lily answered. "He just wants to talk to her." Jack bent down into her face.

"Lily, you gotta tell us what you know. If Malcolm just wants what is best for Sue, then he's got nothing to hide, right? It's okay for you to tell us where she is."

"They left in Malcolm's car," Lily said quietly. Bobby felt his heart sink. This wasn't good.

"Put an hit out on his car," Jack ordered. "Bobby, you're coming with me." They raced to Jack's car. Bobby felt his heart pounding in his head. He could only imagine what Jack was feeling right now. It was unspoken, but Bobby knew Jack had feelings for Sue and vice versa. They flew through the night, listening to Tara tell them where Sue's phone was. Thinking they had found her, they instead saw what appeared to be a homeless person.

"Put your hands up," Jack said firmly. The woman obeyed. Jack took the phone from her. "Where did you get this?"

"Some guy threw it out of his car," the woman replied shakily. "I just picked it up. I swear." Jack looked at the phone.

"It's hers," he said. Bobby stood there looking at him, unsure of what to do next. Then Tara's voice came to them.

"Someone called in a car with a broken tail light and a strange flashing light!" she called. She gave coordinates. Bobby's heart leaped. Good ol' Sue. She had found a way to get help.

"Tell Myles and D to get there now. We're on our way," Jack said. They bolted back to the car and drove off. Bobby felt anxious the whole way. He hoped they weren't too late.

...

"Hands on your head!" Bobby shouted. He shoved the one guy down. He saw Sue back into the wall to get out of the way. After a flurry of movement, Jack had Malcolm handcuffed. The others led him away. Bobby lingered by the doorway for a second to see the two of them staring at each other. He shook his head with half a smile and left. All was well. It had been a scary hour for them all, but it ended without a horror story.

 **February 5, 2009**

"This will be over soon," Tara tried to say. Brennan was pacing.

"Not if the Gravedigger has him. It's worse than just being taken in a car and talked to. This is buried alive. You don't understand!"

"I know," Bobby said, holding up his hand. "We'll find him." So Booth did share his stories with her.

"What if we don't?" Brennan asked, tearing up. She bit her fist. Bobby looked at the others who were just as distraught.

"We're the FBI and the Jeffersonian. We solve crimes and murders. We will find him," Bobby said again more firmly.

 **Booth**

Teddy had helped him get the door opened. Now Booth was wandering around trying to find a way out. He kept thinking about Brennan. He knew she'd be scared. He hoped Bobby was with her. Bobby would know what to do. He was kicking at the fence in front of him, listening to Teddy tell him to just pick the damn lock. He still couldn't believe he had physically touched Teddy. For a ghost, he sure was real. Ghost or not, Teddy was going to help him escape.

 **Bobby**

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

"Gravedigger's got Booth," Bobby started.

"What?!"

"Shhhhh, keep it down. Law enforcement can't know. I'm looking into the files. Brennan and her crew are giving back the missing evidence. Apparently Dr. Hodgins had it," Bobby said. "They took it to the meet point the Gravedigger set up."

"You think that's a good idea?" Jack asked. "What if it's a trap?"

"They're smart," Bobby reassured him.

"Um, Bobby," Jack said, tugging on his friend's arm. "Isn't that them?" He pointed, and Bobby looked to see Agent Perotta walking Brennan, Hodgins, Angela, and Sweets to the conference room along with a judge and Heather Taffet. Brennan and Hodgins looked like hell.

"Uh oh," Bobby said.

 **Booth**

The transponder. He could get help from that. Teddy watched as he yanked it out.

"Well, now nothing is gonna stop this ship from blowing up in six hours and 22 minutes," Teddy pointed out.

"Yea, I got that," Booth snapped. It was his last hope. He hoped to hell that Brennan and Bobby were working hard to find him.

 **Bobby**

He sat with the desolate group.

"It's been over two hours. Why hasn't the Gravedigger sent Booth's coordinates?" Brennan asked.

"He won't. He's cleaning up," Sweets said.

"What do you mean?" Bobby asked.

"He's destroyed the evidence, and he's taking out those who were close to him. Vega, Booth, Brennan, and Hodgins."

"It's over," Hodgins said sadly. "It's my fault Booth is going to die."

"No. It's not over," Brennan said, looking up from her phone. "I know who to get to help."

"Who?" Bobby asked.

"Come with me, and you'll find out," she said. Bobby followed her. She called someone and asked them to meet her while they drove. They went to a bar and found a man sitting on a barstool sipping a drink. Bobby recognized him instantly. Booth had a photo of his brother Jared on his desk.

"What's so important you couldn't tell me on the phone?" Jared asked.

"Booth has been kidnapped by the Gravedigger," Brennan dove in.

"What?!" he exclaimed." When?"

"He has six hours to live. I need you to hijack a body for me."

"I'm in military intelligence, we don't do that," Jared said.

"The victim's name is Thomas Vega," Brennan went on, ignoring him.

"You want me to steal remains from the FBI?"

"Yes! As soon as possible."

"I can make some calls," Jared told her.

"No. This isn't a situation where you just make some calls," Brennan snapped.

"That's who I am, Tempe. I'm the guy who makes some calls," Jared said.

"Booth never turned his back on you. You're a selfish coward, and you never deserved him." Brennan stormed out.

"I think you gotta get hands on with this one," Bobby said as Jared took another sip of his drink. He went after Brennan. He caught up with her quickly.

"He's such an ass," Brennan said harshly.

"You had it right with coward," Bobby told her. He took her arm. "We'll get him, Dr. Brennan. I promise."

"You can't promise me that," she said tearfully. "I use logic. Logic says we're too late."

"Then we need to prove logic wrong," Bobby said forcefully.

...

"I'll be damned," Bobby said as Jared came in with the body and two assistants. Booth's brother had come through. Cam and Brennan got to work quickly. Jared stood to the side, watching. Bobby was next to him watching Brennan work. It was amazing what she could do. Booth wasn't kidding.

"You'll lose your job," Cam said quietly to Jared after a while.

"I'm aware," Jared muttered.

"Vega was killed around the same time Booth was taken," Brennan said. She examined him further. She spouted off some terms Bobby didn't recognize.

"English please?" he asked. Jared looked relieved to know he wasn't the only one who didn't understand.

"Vega got a shot at his attacker. The attacker should have two broken ribs," Brennan said. Heather Taffet came in just then full of steam.

"A missing FBI agent is not a case for National Security," she barked. Bobby felt his spidey senses going off. He had never liked her from the start. He noticed her hand was trembling as she held out a form.

"You can't seem to extend your arm," Brennan said, noticing it too. "Have you injured yourself recently?"

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Taffet demanded. Hodgins lunged, and Bobby and Jared held him back.

"Don't let him go," Brennan instructed them. She moved closer to Taffet. "Could I see the warrant please?" Taffet struggled to raise her arm, and Brennan shoved her right in the ribs, making her cry out in pain.

"Broken ribs," Brennan said. "She's the Gravedigger."

"Can you prove it?" Bobby asked.

"No, is that a problem?" Brennan asked Jared.

"Nope, not for me," Jared said. He went and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck. "You got a place to lock her up?"

...

Bobby let Brennan go in the helicopter to get Booth. He knew she should be the one to go. He headed back to the bull pen where Jack was waiting for him.

"Did you find him?" he asked, worried.

"Yea. Brennan's on her way to get him now," Bobby answered. He fell into his chair. "That was draining."

"I can only imagine," Jack murmured. He did know, sort of. He thanked God that this hadn't happened to Sue.

"You can go home now," Bobby told him. "I'll be all right."

"You sure?"

"Yea. If he had died, then you might have had something to worry about," Bobby laughed. Jack nodded his head curtly before grabbing his coat and walking out. Bobby fiddled with his gambler's chip. Yes, if Booth hadn't made it, Bobby might have had a problem, and he knew it.

 **Booth**

"I was afraid of losing you," Brennan said. She was sitting beside his hospital bed. He squeezed her hand.

"You know I wouldn't leave you," he told her.

"I know. I just...this whole thing has made me realize something," she said.

"What's that?"

"I love you," she said. Booth froze. It was the first time she had ever said it.

"You do?"

"Yes. Booth, I love you. I couldn't bear to think of being without you, and I can only assume that one in love feels that way about someone else," Brennan surmised. Booth chuckled. Her and her logical brain.

"I love you too, Bones," he said. She leaned in to kiss him.

"I should leave you to sleep," she said. "I'll come back in the morning."

"Okay," he nodded. She kissed him again before slipping away.

...

He was half awake when Bobby came into his room.

"Hey," he said. "There's the star. I heard you were right on top waiting."

"Yea well, I'm the best," Booth laughed. He hesitated. He wanted to tell Bobby about Teddy, but he didn't want to appear crazy.

"What's wrong?" Bobby asked.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" Booth countered.

"That depends," Bobby answered.

"On what?"

"On the circumstances. You saw someone?"

"Yea. A kid who died on my watch in war," Booth answered.

"Teddy," Bobby nodded.

"Yea."

"I'm glad you weren't alone, Booth," Bobby said, patting his shoulder. He didn't want to make Booth feel like he was crazy. On the other hand, reports said half the things Booth did he couldn't have done alone, so perhaps Teddy really had been there after all.

 **April 30, 2009**

Booth hurried to find Bobby. The guy refused to believe Booth when he said he'd talked to his identical twin earlier. Bobby claimed it was impossible.

"Hey," he said, spotting Bobby pouring himself a cup of coffee beside Tara. "You gotta come see this."

"See what?"

"I've got your doppelganger in for questioning," Booth said.

"Oohh! Can I go see?" Tara asked immediately.

"Ah yes, the twin I never knew about," Bobby laughed. "All right, let's go see him." He followed Booth to the two way mirror, and he stopped in his tracks when he saw the guy. Tara even gave a small gasp.

"He...he's really...he does look like you," she said, squinting.

"See?" Booth said, gesturing. "I'm not crazy."

"It's just a coincidence," Bobby scoffed. "I do not have a twin." It was a little unnerving, though.

"I disagree," Tara laughed. Vernon Warner was sitting in the room twiddling his thumbs. He was a spitting image of Bobby.

"You're all nuts," Bobby started.

"Hey, is this the room Bobby's twin is in?" Jack asked, poking his head in. "Word around here is that you have him in custody?"

"Sure do," Booth grinned. Jack looked at Vernon.

"Geez," he said. "Bobby, are you sure...?"

"I do NOT have a twin!" Bobby hollered. "Give it a rest will ya?" Jack started laughing.

"I gotta go talk to him now," Booth said. "Did I mention he also has an Australian accent?"

"Oh bugger off," Bobby growled. Booth laughed as he left. Tara squeezed his hand.

"Don't worry," she smiled. "I wouldn't trade you in for anybody, even your twin."

"He's not my twin!" Bobby said loudly as they walked out.

...

"You realize we're getting married in less than a week?" Tara said as they walked down the street.

"I do," Bobby nodded.

"Are you nervous?"

"More of letting you down than of getting married," Bobby admitted.

"You won't let me down," Tara promised. "I know you."

"I'm glad you have such faith in me," he grinned.

"I do, and you should have faith in yourself. You've come so far," she reminded him.

"Yea."

"Do you think Booth and Brennan will get married?" she asked. Bobby had told her of course. She had been sworn to secrecy.

"I dunno," he said thoughtfully. "I guess we'll have to see where that goes."

 **May 9, 2009**

"We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman together in holy matrimony," the minister was saying. Booth stood proudly next to Jack as Bobby stood across from Tara, getting ready to say his vows. After a long ride, they were finally here. Booth couldn't keep his eyes off of the two of them. Tara was radiating beauty in her white gown, and Bobby looked very sharp. Booth snuck looks at Brennan too, who was in the crowd. She smiled at him when their eyes met. Things between them had been going very well. Booth wouldn't change anything for the world, except he wished they could tell people they were together.

"I love you, Tara," Bobby was saying now. "I'm so lucky to have you as my best friend and partner. Life is only going to keep getting better once we start this journey together." Booth heard Jack sniff. He made a note to tease him later for getting teary.

"Bobby," Tara said when her turn was next. "I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life with anyone else. You're all I ever want and all I ever need."

Booth sighed happily. He was so glad his friend had finally gotten the woman of his dreams.

"You may kiss the bride," the minister finished. An explosion of cheers and whistles erupted when Bobby pulled Tara in for a passionate kiss.

...

"You seem happy," Brennan noted, sitting down next to him. Booth was watching Tara and Bobby dance together.

"I am," he agreed. "My boy's all grown up."

"You're not his father," Brennan said logically.

"It's a figure of speech, Bones," Booth said.

"Oh," Brennan responded, getting it. She sipped her water absently.

"Hey, you know this reminds me of another wedding," Booth said, taking her hand into his.

"Oh yea?"

"Yea. One where you and I ended up in an empty room..."

"Hmm yes it was delightful," she smiled.

"You wanna?"

"I thought you'd never ask." They jumped up and hurried to find an unoccupied room. Brennan grabbed his face and kissed him hard.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too," he replied.

He kissed her ferociously then. Then he remembered.

"Damn it," he said. "I don't have any..."

"It's okay," she whispered.

"How is it okay?"

"I was going to wait until after, but I want to tell you now. I just found out today. Booth, I'm pregnant."

Booth felt his face crack into the biggest grin he could ever imagine.

* * *

 **I didn't want to draw out the whole Gravedigger episode so that's why it's short. I hope you don't mind. I added the piece of Sue's kidnapping just to link it to that show. Also, Rick Peters, who played Bobby Manning in Sue Thomas, did actually play Vernon Warner in the episode The Beaver in the Otter. That's why I couldn't resist doing the bit about him being Bobby's twin. I apologize to the Tara/Bobby fans that I didn't do a big write up of their wedding (I will in a different story I promise). Anyway, I hope you like that I'm speeding things up. I honestly am not sure how many more chapters I'm going to write. I might fast forward a little more in the next chapter. I'm not sure if I'll do the whole series, but if I do, I will definitely be fast forwarding a lot.**


	11. Chapter 11

**February 4, 2010**

"It was...Satan?" Bobby asked, not having heard correctly. They were at their favorite coffee shop, and Booth was describing a current case he was working on.

"Well, he had horns and a tail," Booth answered.

"Wow," Bobby said, surprised.

"He was found at a mental hospital," Booth went on.

"Okay, well that makes a little more sense," Bobby laughed. "Still...creepy." He shuddered.

"Yea. I worry about Bones working so much when she's so close to her due date," Booth sighed. "She won't listen to me, though."

"They'll do that," Bobby grinned. "Poor Sue drove Jack mad by insisting on being at work and doing cases with them when she was about to burst. They got through it, though."

"What about you? Any plans of fatherhood?" Booth asked with a grin.

"Ah, well, we haven't really discussed that yet," Bobby answered.

"You can watch me do it first. I'm a pro. I already had practice with Parker," Booth winked.

"A pro, eh?"

"Yup."

"Huh."

Booth's phone rang and he answered it. Bobby looked out the window at the snow that was falling. He couldn't wait until spring.

"Well, we have a lead," Booth said, standing up. He dropped a few bills down on the table. "You up for hanging out later?" Tara, Bobby, Booth, and Brennan had taken to spending time together every so often. It was always fun, and Booth liked being able to share his best friend with Brennan.

"I'll get back to you. I know Tara mentioned something about her sister coming," Bobby said.

"Sounds good. See ya later," Booth smiled, walking out.

 **Booth**

They were in the facility when Brennan cried out and grabbed her abdomen.

"Bones?" Booth asked, worried. "Hey!"

"I'm all right," she said, puffing. "Just some cramping."

"Um, as in...labor?" he questioned.

"Possibly," she agreed.

"Okay, whoa, we gotta get you to the hospital."

"Booth, I'm fine! I have to finish this..."

"No. No way. Nuh uh. I will not have our baby born in a mental hospital," Booth argued. He took her by the arm and steered her away from the scene.

"They have doctors here..."

"I don't care. We are going to a regular, normal hospital where people don't pretend to be doctors and potentially steal our child."

"They're unwell, Booth, it doesn't mean they would steal our baby."

"Bones, just get in the car."

 **Bobby**

He was surfing the television when Tara came into the living room. He still loved seeing her standing there as his wife. It was coming up a year of marriage. He was planning on taking her on a trip.

"Brennan is having the baby," she said.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yea. Booth is freaking out," Tara laughed.

"Do they want company?"

"He didn't say, but I think you might be able to keep him sane," Tara suggested. Bobby stood and went over to her, kissing her.

"I'll be back in a jiffy," he said, grabbing his coat. On the drive over, he kept thinking about what it would be like to have a child with Tara. Before he knew it, he was at the hospital. He found Booth pacing in the hallway.

"All right, mate?" Bobby asked.

"Nervous, man. Very nervous," Booth said.

"Why aren't you in there?"

"I...I feel like I'd be in the way."

"Booth, you march your hide in there right now," Bobby ordered. "She needs you."

"I know, I know. I just..."

"What?"

"This is our baby. This is happening. We're going to be parents, and we're not even married."

"Oh, don't start with that again," Bobby groaned. "You know her stance on marriage."

"I know, I know. I just wish she'd think about it is all," Booth said, rubbing his neck hard.

"Just get in there," Bobby commanded, pointing. "Worry about the rest of it later."

"All right," Booth agreed. He went into the delivery room. Bobby sat out in the hallway, thinking more and more about what a baby Tara would look like. After a few hours, Booth poked his head out.

"You wanna see her?"

"Does Crocodile Dundee have a bigger knife?" Bobby countered, grinning. "Of course I want to see her!" He followed Booth inside where a tired looking Brennan was holding their little girl.

"Meet Christine," Booth said, picking her up and handing her to Bobby. She felt so light in his hands, so fragile. He knew without a doubt that this was what he wanted.

"Hi," he whispered. "You're a beautiful little Sheila aren't you?"

"Her name is..." Brennan started.

"It's Australian for woman," Booth interrupted.

"Oh, right," Brennan nodded. "I'm sorry. My mind isn't so sharp right now."

"You just had a baby," Bobby laughed. "Get some rest." He handed Christine back to Booth. "Congratulations, you two." He smiled and patted Booth on the back.

"You're leaving?" Booth asked.

"Yea," he nodded. "I'll come back again to see her. Figured you guys could use some privacy."

"Thanks for coming, man," Booth said.

"My pleasure," Bobby nodded. _No_ , he wanted to say. _Thank you_. He went home and found Tara washing dishes. He went up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"So?" she asked.

"A little girl," he answered, nuzzling her neck.

"Aww," Tara smiled.

"It's got me thinking..." he started.

"Yea?" she asked, getting excited. She had been wanting to talk about babies with him for about a month now.

"Yea. You wanna start trying?"

"I would love that," she answered. He pulled her around and kissed her firmly.

"Then let's get started," he grinned.

 **Over a Year Later-April 2011**

"I'm worried about Bobby," Jack said to Booth. He had called and requested a meeting.

"How so?" Booth asked, sipping his coffee.

"He's not himself. I know the whole trying to get pregnant thing has been wearing them both down, but he's taking it hard," Jack said.

"You're worried he'll start gambling again?" Booth asked.

"I think he already has," Jack answered.

 **Bobby**

He tapped the chip on the counter, thinking about his next move. Tara thought he was at a meeting, and he felt bad for lying. He suspected she had her suspicions. Things had been tense between them lately, and he needed an outlet. He felt horrible, but this was something he was good at. This was something he could control. He did not have control over having a baby, and that really bothered him. It was a part of nature, having a child. Why was it so hard for them? When the results came back saying it was him, he felt even worse. Tara could never have a baby because of him. Not much of a man, was he? He threw the chip down, angry now. He placed his bet and waited, holding his breath. He won. He whooped with laughter. He won! He scooped up the winnings and decided to keep going. What did he have to lose?

 **Booth**

"Where are you going?" Brennan asked again, clarifying. She thought she heard him say a casino.

"I am going to Atlantic City to get Bobby," Booth said. "He's gambling there."

"Gambling?" Brennan asked, feeling worried.

"Yea. He and Tara are having trouble having a baby, and I think it's pushed him over the edge," Booth said. "I gotta go bring him back."

"Be careful," Brennan said, touching his arm.

"I'll be all right," he said, kissing her. "I've got a lot to lose if I go back to that life."

...

He drove. He felt bad for Bobby. He wished there was some way he could help him have a child. He didn't know what was going on. Bobby had stopped giving him updates. Booth had a feeling that Bobby was the problem, and he was now gambling to have control over something. When he arrived, he tried not to be distracted by all the lights and whistles. He had to find his friend.

 **Bobby**

He had lost it all. He stood there in shock. It was not supposed to go like that.

"Bobby," Booth's voice said in the distance. He turned, not quite seeing him. Booth took his arm and led him out. Bobby was in a daze. So much money. Gone.

"Bobby," Booth said again louder. "What are you doing?"

"I was winning," he answered. "Then I lost."

"Oh God, Bobby," Booth groaned. "How much?"

"Thirty thousand..."

"Bobby! Snap out of it!" Booth shouted, shaking him. Bobby looked at him. "You have a wife at home who is worried sick about you. You have friends who care about you. Stop this right now!"

"It's not that simple, mate," Bobby said.

"Yes, it is," Booth argued.

"No."

"One day at a time, remember? Remember the slogans?" Booth said loudly.

"I have been doing it one day at a time!" Bobby shouted. "One day at a time, I have failed my wife."

"Don't go there," Booth said. "Bobby, it's not your fault."

"But it is! I'm broken, Booth. I'm broken, and there's no fixing it," Bobby said, slumping against the wall. They were outside of the casino now. Bobby could hear the sounds of winning inside. Booth could too.

"One day at a time, it works if you work it, help is as near as my phone," Booth chanted. It wasn't all the slogans, but they were the important ones in his mind.

"I can control this..." Bobby started.

"We are powerless over gambling," Booth said firmly. "Your life has become unmanageable. Believe that a power greater than you can restore you to a normal way of thinking and living."

"I get it," Bobby said, closing his eyes.

"Come to a meeting, Bobby," Booth said. "Right now. We'll go right now. You can't throw away all your hard work over something you have no control over."

"She'll be so disappointed in me," Bobby said quietly. "Booth, I've been doing this for over a month now."

"I know," Booth said. "Jack figured as much."

"Yea, Jack. The guy who has twins and is expecting again," Bobby said angrily.

"Unfair, yes," Booth agreed. "But if it's meant to be, it will happen for you."

"You're so sure about that," Bobby commented.

"I am," Booth said forcefully. "Now come on, let's go to a meeting."

 **May 12, 2011**

Booth was frustrated. Broadsky was crossing lines everywhere. He was going to get this guy once and for all. He wished Bobby was there for support, but Bobby had gone away with Tara for a while to recover from his relapse. Booth was very glad Bobby didn't lose his marriage, and things had been looking up for them both again. Tara loved Bobby, and she was going to be there for him always. That's what she had told him when Booth delivered Bobby to her that night he brought him home from the casino. Bobby had gone to extra meetings and was feeling better, but he also felt terrible for relapsing. He was also still upset about not being able to have a child too. Booth wanted to suggest adoption, but he thought it might be too soon for that. He was sure they were probably thinking it anyway. Now, Booth was at the Jeffersonian trying to catch a deadly sniper. Max had Christine. Booth wasn't taking any chances. His phone started ringing. He tossed it to Nigel-Murray, who fumbled it.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked, nervous.

"Answer it when I tell you," Booth answered. Broadsky was not going to hurt or threaten anyone else he loved. Not on his watch.

 **Bobby**

"This was a great idea," he said, sighing. They were in Hawaii. It was a vacation they needed. All talk of babies and gambling were set aside. It was just him and Tara.

"We should have done this long ago," Tara nodded. He took her hand.

"We should have," he agreed.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm more than okay," he replied. "Tara, I'm so sorry..."

"Stop," she said, holding up her hand. "You relapsed. It's okay. You got out of it. As long as you always come back out of it, we'll be just fine."

"I don't intend on doing it ever again," he said firmly. "I swear."

"Let's just take it one day at a time, okay?" she said, leaning over to kiss him.

"Yea," he nodded. "One day at a time."

"I hope Booth is okay," Tara said. "I heard from Lucy that the Broadsky guy was getting worse."

"He'll get him," Bobby reassured her. "Booth always gets the bad guys."

 **Booth**

He stumbled around the bull pen. He felt lost. He felt sick. Vincent's face was always there when he closed his eyes, and Brennan's sobs were trapped in his ears. Death was so cruel, and it was all his fault. He crashed into Jack without realizing it.

"Hey, what happened?" Jack asked, catching him as he stumbled.

"The kid...he...the k-kid died," Booth said.

"What kid?"

"The intern."

"Let's go," Jack ordered, pulling him along. They needed to talk. He knew he wasn't as good as Bobby, but Bobby wasn't here right now. He would have to do.

"The kid died. He died cos I gave him the phone," Booth said. His throat was tight. He could still hear Vincent gasping his last breaths.

"Hey, man," Jack said. "I know I'm not Bobby, but I'm a good listener. You did what you thought was right. You didn't know he'd have eyes on you there."

"Then how come I feel like this?" Booth demanded. "Huh?"

"Because as FBI you feel you have to constantly be on your feet and think of every scenario, and you didn't this time," Jack said.

"I'm a failure," Booth groaned, banging his fists against his forehead.

"Stop that," Jack ordered.

"Don't tell me you had the same experience!" Booth snapped.

"Not exactly, but six people died because I wasn't on my game," Jack responded. Booth looked up at him slowly. Jack nodded. He started to tell the story, even if it was just to distract Booth for a while.

 **October 2003**

"You'll find the casing up there where those birds are," Jack pointed. Bobby and Myles followed his finger.

"How do you know all this?" Sue asked, shielding her eyes against the sun.

"Jack used to be a sniper for SWAT," Bobby explained.

"Makes me wonder what else I will learn about you," she teased Jack.

"I know the feeling," he smiled at her, moving past to go check out the area where the birds were flying around. Bobby found the casing. Jack noticed some tall grass had been cut. This sniper was taking his time with his victims and had a lot of patience. It unnerved him. Three people already dead. The playing card glared up at him, taunting him. 3.

...

"A coward doesn't taunt! He ambushes his unsuspecting victims and then he runs and hides, and leaving behind playing cards is hardly the same thing as daring us to catch him," the mayor finished as he moved off screen amidst the shouting reporters. Jack stood there with the others, feeling a very sick feeling in his stomach.

...

"Jack," Myles said, hanging up the phone slowly.

"Yea?" Jack asked blearily. He'd been awake a long time. Sue had convinced him to go and rest, but now he waited to hear what Myles had to say.

"The mayor has been shot," Myles said. The news slammed into Jack with force.

...

"He's become predictable," Jack said more to himself than anything. He looked at the Joker card in his hand. An idea was formulating.

"Jack," Lucy called. "What do we tell the press conference? They want an update."

"Tell them I'll do it," Jack replied. She nodded and turned back to the phone. Bobby sat there looking at him.

"What are you doing?" Bobby asked.

"About what?"

"You know what I'm talking about. I reckon we both know what you're thinking, mate," Bobby said. "Why are you gonna take this press conference?"

"I'm the lead agent on this case," Jack replied. "That's part of my job sometimes."

"Don't matter what I say you're not gonna listen to me are you?" Bobby asked.

"I'm listening to every word, but you're not making much sense. That's not unusual," Jack answered, slapping Bobby's shoulder.

"Jack," Bobby said, leaning in closer. "Only stupid people do stupid things, so don't." He gave Jack a meaningful look.

"Thanks for your advice," Jack said after a moment. Bobby sighed roughly and walked away.

...

"The only thing we know about this shooter so far is that he's a disgusting, sniveling coward," Jack's voice said on the television.

"Whoa, Jack" Myles said, dropping his papers and coming over to the TV. The others stared at the screen.

"I knew it," Bobby muttered.

"What's he doing?" Sue asked, concerned.

"Setting himself up to make the sniper so angry that we can predict his next target," Bobby explained.

"Jack," Sue whispered, watching in horror.

"It appears he targets the helpless, the unsuspecting. What kind of slime does that?" Jack went on. "He's scared of us. He keeps running away. The minute he

slows down to catch his breath, he belongs to me." Jack stared into the camera as he finished.

"It sounds personal, Agent Hudson," the reporter said. "Like you're sending him a message, man to man."

"Whoever this creep is, he could never be part of a man to man conversation," Jack answered.

"He's purposely making himself a target!" Sue cried, turning to Bobby. "How could you let him do that?!"

"All I can do is point out to someone that they're about to do something stupid. Unfortunately, I can't stop them from actually doing it," Bobby replied, pointing to Jack on the TV.

...

"He's gonna be at the second shooting," Jack told everyone. "He knows that's where I'm going to be. Now, there's only two places he can get a good shot. We'll have snipers here, here, and here." He gestured on the white board.

"What about getting in and getting out?" Myles asked.

"Only two ways," Jack explained.

"You wanna hope so. You might be betting your life on it," Myles pointed out.

"Well, if we don't get him on the way in, then you'll get him on the way out," Jack answered. He avoided Sue's gaze. She was angry with him.

"Coffee," Bobby said after a moment's silence. "Come on." He, Dimitrius, Sue, and Jack went down to get a coffee.

"Thanks," Jack said as they exited the coffeeshop. He had his mug in his hand.

"No worries. Just don't die on me before you pay me back," Bobby tried to joke. He went around to the other side of the car, seeing Jack talking to Sue. Then all of a sudden, Jack's mug exploded in his hand.

"DOWN! EVERYBODY DOWN!" Jack shouted, grabbing Sue and throwing her behind the front of the car. They all huddled there as Dimitrius called it in.

"Looks like he's not as predictable as you thought," Bobby said.

"Yea he's about three miles away from where he's supposed to be!" Jack shouted.

"He's tracking you," Dimitrius said.

"Thank God he missed," Sue told him.

"He didn't miss," Jack told them. "He hit exactly what he was aiming at."

...

The girls came with information about the truck. The team went out and brought down a Shane, who had been visiting mental hospitals and threatened his wife with a gun. The man was former infantry and a sniper. They found the sniper barrel and the bag of birdseed. It was all they needed. Now it was late evening, and Bobby was trying to get Jack to go celebrate.

"We don't have him," Jack said, looking at Bobby.

"What are you talking about?" Bobby asked.

"The sniper. He's still out there," Jack answered. Bobby stared at him. "I can't believe I didn't put it together before. The first shooting, one shot, perfect kill. 150 yards in the middle of a crowd of people. The third shooting, one shot, perfect. 200 yards and change in the middle of a crowd of people again. Shooting of the mayor, same."

"Does this train of thought have a caboose?" Bobby asked, sitting on the edge of Jack's desk.

"Second shooting, 75 to 100 yards tops. A much easier shot, and only a wound to the torso, not even center and mass. If the guy had gotten to the hospital sooner, he would have survived. Number two was a miss."

"Haven't you ever missed?" Bobby asked, not getting it.

"Not by that much," Jack shook his head. "I think there are two shooters."

"Yea but all the bullets match," Bobby argued.

"Which means it's the same gun. It doesn't mean it's the same shooter. There is no way the guy that shot that mug out of my hand missed from 75 yards."

"So who did we arrest?" Bobby asked.

"The amateur," Jack answered. "Did you see that half moon cut on his eye?"

"Yea, sure," Bobby nodded.

"Looks like it could have been a scope bite," Jack told him. "You know, when a rookie puts his face too close to the scope and pulls the trigger? The scope hits him in the face like a hammer. And there was something different about his voice. It didn't seem like the same guy I'd been talking to."

"Hm, so you think the ace of the staff is still out there," Bobby commented. Jack nodded slowly. Within 20 minutes, a call came in about another shooting. A woman who had been jogging in the park. Jack's heart sank as he called his teammates. He wanted this to be over.

...

Jack decided to let the second shooter go. He figured he'd meet up with the pro, and he was right. Sue watched as he made a call, and they followed him to the racket club, but he was shot down while he was waiting outside. Of course the sniper called Jack again, but this time, he made a mistake. Tara amplified the background noise, and they could hear the sounds of a restaurant. Bobby was able to pinpoint the restaurant from the way they called their onion rings. Jack and Sue went and got the name of the customer who had been there earlier with a cell phone. Now they were speeding out to Carl Gordon's home. Tara filled Jack in.

"He was an ex military sniper," she said. "He was discharged because of mental issues. According to court records, his wife filed for divorce two months ago."

"That's the profile," Jack said.

"That's the beginning," she cut him off. "He's financially on the skitz. He pays a credit card with each successive new one."

"Address?" Jack asked.

"Current," she confirmed.

"Got the warrant!" Myles shouted in the background.

"We got the paper," Tara said to Jack.

"Get it to the house ASAP," Jack instructed. "Don't wait for us." He started driving when Bobby called.

"He's not here," Bobby said.

"What?"

"There's nothing. No toothbrush no razor no clothes."

"I'm on my way," Jack said.

"Oh, and Jack, the media is here," Bobby said.

"What?"

"Yea. A neighbor maybe?"

"No it's too fast for a neighbor to-" Jack stopped abruptly. His mind whirling. "Bobby, very slowly get everyone inside the house. I think he might be watching you right now."

"You don't say," Bobby said, looking around carefully.

"I think he wanted us to find him," Jack told him. "And I think he called the media so that he'd have an audience. If I'm right, he's not gonna do anything until I get there. It's me that he wants." The Jack playing card flashed through his mind that the sniper had left at the fifth victim's site.

"Very casually get everyone inside," Bobby said to Myles. To Jack, "So what are you gonna do?"

"I'm not gonna disappoint him. Tell Myles to meet me as the gas station at third and Hill," Jack instructed.

"All right," Bobby said. He hung up and went into the house. After a while, the phone rang, and he went to answer it.

"Hello?" he said.

"Put Jack Hudson on the phone," the sniper said into his ear.

"Yea sure. Jack! Telephone! Hustle up!" Bobby shouted. He could feel the gun sighted on him as he stood in the window. He hoped Jack knew what he was doing. Soon enough, Jack's voice was in his ear.

"Bobby, I got him. You can tell Myles he can get out of my car now." Bobby chuckled to himself. He wiped the sweat off his brow. He was just glad it was over.

 **May 12, 2011**

Booth didn't know what to say when Jack finished. He fiddled with his fingers. He still felt awful, and to top it off, Broadsky was still out there.

"Hey," Jack said. "Go home. Sleep. You'll get him tomorrow. I can help if you want."

"No," Booth said abruptly. "No one else gets involved. I will take him down myself."

"I know you will," Jack nodded. "I know you will."

* * *

 **We all know he did. I didn't think I needed to write that scene out. I hope you're okay with time jumps. I will be fast forwarding again a bit. I skipped the whole brain surgery thing because I didn't think it was necessary since he was already with Brennan. I know things are out of order anyway with Brennan having the baby earlier and everything, so that's the AU part of this story now. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

**May 14, 2012**

"She's gone, man," Booth said, trying not to cry. "She took our child and left."

"She's keeping herself safe," Bobby interjected. "You would do the same thing."

"She could have told me!"

"Then you would have to lie when they ask," Bobby pointed out. "She's with Max. She's safe. This thing has to blow over before she can come home."

"I miss her," Booth whispered. The ache in his soul was strong. He wanted to kill Pelant and get it over with. How could this man be framing his partner for murder?! It was insane.

"I'm sure she misses you too. Booth, I know this wouldn't be her first choice," Bobby said firmly. "But Max is right, if they get her in the system, she's doomed."

"I know," Booth nodded desolately. "I know."

Bobby stood there looking at his best friend. He felt unsure that Booth actually did know. Bobby had to hand it to Brennan for doing what she did. He thought about how he would feel if Tara had done this to him. He would understand and want to solve this mess to bring her home.

"You won't do anything stupid?" Bobby asked him, his meaning clear. Booth shook his head.

"The last place I need to be right now is in a casino," he said. "Bones needs me, and I need to keep my head on straight for this."

"Good man," Bobby nodded. He hoped Brennan was safe. If she wasn't and died from all of this, Bobby knew exactly what kind of path Booth would go down, and it wouldn't be pretty.

...

Tara ran her fingers through her hair. She felt sweaty and nauseous. She looked at herself in the mirror, seeing a scared woman looking back at her. She heard the door open and close, knowing that Bobby was now home.

"Hey, love," he said, coming into the bedroom.

"Hey. Any clues for finding Temperance?" Tara asked. She wiped her face with a cloth. She still didn't look well. She wondered why she was so afraid of what was supposed to be a miracle.

"None. Booth is going out of his mind. I honestly don't know what to do," Bobby replied. She heard him groan as he pulled his socks off. She walked out to face him, and he immediately noticed she didn't look well.

"Are you all right?" he asked, concerned. He got up and came over to her.

"I don't know," she said, pulling out something from behind her back and handing it to him. "You tell me." Bobby looked at the white stick with the plus sign on it. He was confused for a second. He looked at her.

"Are you...?"

"I'm pregnant."

 **September 2012**

Bones was home. His Bones was home. The entire Pelant mess was behind them for now. The rat was still out there, but at least Brennan wasn't framed for murder anymore. Booth watched as she started to make dinner. He could hear Christine giggling at something. She was one and a half approximately now. Booth couldn't believe how much he'd missed her. He briefly thought about Bobby, who was going to be a father. He knew both of them were anxious about it since Tara was 39 years old. There were a lot of things at stake.

"What?" Brennan asked, seeing him watching her.

"Nothing," he smiled. "I'm just so glad you're home."

"Me too," she said, leaning in to kiss him.

"Don't ever leave again," he said. "Please."

"I won't," she promised.

 **Bobby**

Tara was four months along now, and things seemed to be okay so far. The doctor had insisted on doing a screening for Downs Syndrome, and Bobby was anxious for the results. It didn't matter one way or another. He was having a baby, and he was going to love that baby with everything he had. Tara was doing her best to not be scared, but he could tell she was.

"It'll be all right," he reassured her as they waited for the doctor. "Whatever we get, we get. I don't care."

"It's not that I'm worried about," Tara confessed. She looked at him with wet eyes.

"What is it then?"

"What if our baby...gets a gambling addiction?" she asked. It hurt to say it out loud, but she had really been thinking about it. What if it was some weird gene that the baby would get, and they would watch him or her ruin their life because of an addiction.

"Tara," Bobby said, feeling surprised. "That's been bothering you?"

"Yes. I know it shouldn't, and you've been doing so well, but I just worry sometimes," Tara cried.

"Our baby will be just fine," Bobby repeated firmly. She nodded slowly, wiping away her tears. He felt a little hurt inside, but he could understand her fear. Managing two gambling addicts would be very difficult.

"Mr. and Mrs. Manning?" the nurse called. They stood and followed her to the back. "The doctor will be in shortly."

"I'm scared," Tara whispered. Bobby clutched her hand in return. Within moments, the doctor was there.

"Hello, folks," he said, sitting down. He looked unsure of what to say for a moment, and then he dove in. "There is no easy way of saying this. Our screening results have come back saying you have an increased risk for a baby with Downs Syndrome. I don't like to offer the diagnostic test to get a definitive answer because it can cause a miscarriage, but it raises the question of what you want to do from here."

"What do you mean?" Bobby asked.

"Well, some parents decide to terminate," the doctor replied. Bobby's back straightened tightly. He heard Tara inhale sharply.

"We are not terminating," Bobby said strongly.

"No," Tara agreed. "We're not."

"Okay. I have put together a package for you with some information about having a baby with Downs," the doctor said. "Any other questions for me?"

"How accurate is that screening?" Tara asked.

"Well," the doctor said. "Because you waited longer to do it, the percentage of accuracy does go down, but it's still about 60%."

"I see," Tara nodded. She swallowed hard.

"We got this," Bobby said to her. "I'll research. We'll get ready. It will be all right." Tara didn't feel so confident. She wished she was.

 **February 11, 2013**

Booth felt badly about fighting with Brennan. He packed Christine all up and went over to the Jeffersonian where he knew she'd be working. He thought about what he'd say all the way over. When he got there, he didn't hear her working, so he called out her name. When he came to the examination room, he saw her on the floor next to a puddle of blood.

"Oh my God. Bones!" he shouted, dropping to her. She still had vitals. Christine started to scream in the background. Booth called for help, and he pressed his hand over her wound, praying to God that she wouldn't leave him. He couldn't live without her. He just couldn't.

 **Bobby**

"Ah!" Tara shouted, gripping the railing. She was trying to get down the stairs. The contractions were getting harder and faster, and she was trying not to panic. Everyone said that having a baby was the one time pain went by quickly and was forgotten. She wasn't so sure of that right in this moment.

"I'm coming!" Bobby shouted. He was in a dither, grabbing their overnight bag and making sure everything was ready. He came up behind her and helped her down the stairs.

"It hurts," she whimpered.

"I know, love, I know," he said, kissing her cheek. "I'm here for the whole thing." They got to the hospital in record speed, and Bobby was waiting to be let into Tara's room when he saw Booth pacing the hallway.

"How did you know?" Bobby asked, laughing. Then he saw Booth's face. "What happened?"

"Bones was shot," he answered hoarsely. Bobby's heart dropped.

"What?" he asked.

"Yea. No exit wound. It's got us all stumped. She...she's having surgery. I'm freaking out, Bobby," Booth said, gripping his hair with his hands. Max had Christine at least. It was helpful.

"I...I don't know what to say except that Brennan is extremely tough and will get through this in one piece," Bobby reassured him. He heard Tara shrieking suddenly.

"Is she in labor?" Booth asked, realizing why Bobby was there.

"Yea..."

"Geez. Get in there, man!"

"I'm torn," Bobby admitted. He wanted to be there for his best friend but he needed to be there for his wife.

"Just go. You're right. Bones will be fine. Help Tara have that baby," Booth urged. Bobby tore off to be there with her. Booth sent a quick prayer for Bobby as well as for Brennan. He wanted everything to work out just fine.

 **Booth**

Brennan was awake. It was the biggest relief he'd felt in a long time. She was telling him about her dreams of talking to her mother. Booth fully believed it was real despite Brennan fighting it the whole way.

"Knock, knock," Bobby said. They both turned to look at him.

"Is that him?" Booth asked, grinning. Brennan smiled as well.

"Meet Charlie Jack Seeley Manning," Bobby said, bending down. Booth swelled with pride that his name was in there as well as Jack's. He knew that Charlie was Tara's father's name.

"He's beautiful," Brennan commented, reaching to touch the baby's soft hair.

"Wait, wasn't he supposed to be...?" Booth asked, knowing that they had been told that Charlie was going to have Downs.

"Misdiagnosed," Bobby grinned. "Screening was off. We got lucky."  
"Wow," Booth said. "Congrats you guys. I know it wouldn't have mattered anyway."

"Thanks. No, you're right. This is my boy, and though I'm grateful he's all right, I wouldn't have cared if he had it. Tara's pretty whipped. I know they are going to try to get him to feed soon, but I just wanted some bonding time," Bobby smiled at his little boy.

"Enjoy it now before he starts screaming," Booth laughed.

"How are you feeling, Brennan?" Bobby asked her.

"Better. Sore, but I'm all right," she answered.

"Good."

"I'm going to go get Christine because she's been upset," Booth said, kissing Brennan's forehead. "I'll be back."

"Okay," she agreed. Bobby and Booth walked out together.

"So, what now?" Booth asked.

"I don't know, mate," Bobby answered. "I don't know."

 **October 21, 2013**

Booth was getting married today. He felt proud as he watched Brennan come down the aisle towards him. Bobby was standing next to him as was Parker. Angela and Cam were on the other side. This was the moment he had been waiting for for so long, and it was finally here. It all went so quickly, but he was all right with that. In no time, he was allowed to kiss her as his wife, and he did so with gusto while everyone clapped and whistled.

"Good job, mate," Bobby said, nudging him. He looked over at Tara, who was holding their child. Charlie was now eight months old. They had been talking about their future, and he knew it involved moving somewhere else and enjoying the country. Bobby hadn't told Booth yet. He didn't want to upset him. Not today.

 **March 2014**

"I can't believe you're leaving," Jack said, watching Bobby pack up.

"I know, mate, but it's time. On to new things," he said, smiling a little. He was sad, though. Booth had been devastated when he'd told him last month. Tara was excited. It was a new journey for both of them, and he knew Booth would be all right. He'd watched Sweets and Booth build a bond throughout the years. Bobby knew Booth was in good hands.

"We'll visit," Bobby promised. Jack bowed his head. He and Sue had their hands full with the twins and their other son, and Jack was going to miss having Bobby around to relieve him from stress.

"Vermont just feels so far away," Jack said. Bobby tucked the last thing into his box.

"I know. Who knows, maybe we'll move back once Charlie grows up," Bobby shrugged. "Or you might join us out there."

"Haha. I don't know about that," Jack laughed.

"It's closer to Tara's family. It's better than being in Australia to be close to mine," Bobby teased.

"I know, I know. I just...I'm gonna miss you," Jack said, feeling his throat tighten. Bobby pulled him into a tight hug.

"I'll miss you too. Keep an eye on Booth for me too, eh?"

"I will," Jack promised. Bobby picked up his box and headed out the door towards his new life.

 **Booth**

He couldn't believe Bobby was leaving. It still gutted him. He was standing in Bobby's driveway with Brennan and Christine, helping pack the car and getting ready to say goodbye.

"Ah, mate, you'll be fine," Bobby said, clapping Booth's back. "Plus, you get to come to Vermont and visit us."

"It just sucks," Booth said.

"I know. It just is what's best for us," Bobby told him.

"I would love to see Vermont," Brennan said to him. Christine tugged at her arm. She wanted to play.

"Well, keep in touch. We'll be visiting soon I'm sure," Bobby said. He closed the trunk and looked at Tara. It was time to go. They all hugged one another.

"Why do I get the feeling you're gonna fall apart when I'm gone?" Bobby asked Booth.

"Nah. I'm tough. I'll be fine," Booth said, not feeling fine in that particular moment.

"Take care of him," Bobby instructed Brennan.

"I will," she promised. They climbed into the car, Charlie already having been buckled in. Booth and Brennan waved as they pulled away, and Bobby stuck his arm out the window and waved all the way down the street until they were gone. Booth felt a sense of impending doom, but he kept it to himself. No sense in jinxing anything. If Bobby was happy, then he was happy. Life would go on.

 **October 2014**

Nothing was the same after Sweets had died. Booth found himself staring at walls and ceilings, lost in thought. Sweets had been his close friend aside from Bobby. He didn't understand why this had to happen. He felt like his life was falling apart. The urge to get lost in a casino was vast and looming. He had tried to get a hold of Bobby, but Bobby wasn't readily available. Jack did his best to help Booth get through it. After all, the entire office had come to know Sweets, and everyone was thoroughly devastated at his death. Booth knew they were doing their best, but he wanted Bobby. Things hadn't been the same since Bobby had left. Going to jail hadn't been helpful either, but that was behind him. The conspiracy was solved, and now Booth was left with the aftermath of the mess. He didn't know what to do, and he didn't know how to talk to Brennan about it. Instead, he suffered in silence, battling the gambling demon constantly. Booth knew that if this kept up, he would eventually lose, and he'd spiral out of control. He did his best to ignore it, but it was loud and large. If only Bobby were here.

* * *

 **All righty. I am getting close to wrapping up this story. I think maybe three chapters left. Thanks for reading. Please leave a review if you have the time. It's much appreciated and keeps me motivated to write. Cheers!**


	13. Chapter 13

**April 2015**

Booth was sitting in the poker game, and he knew he needed to walk away. He had the killer, but at the same time, the hand he had, it was a winner. He just knew it. His demons were wrestling with his conscience. What to do, what to do? He knew Brennan was watching. He knew she would be upset, so he did the right thing. He set his cards down, announced he was FBI, and he arrested the murderer. Walking away from that table was the hardest thing he'd ever done since watching Sweets die, but in his heart of hearts, he knew it was just the beginning.

 **Bobby**

Two year old Charlie was running around, trying to keep up with the puppy. Bobby had received the little labrador as a birthday gift from Tara. A boy and his dog. It was like the country dream. Things had been going very well. Bobby was working as a carpenter, and Tara was staying at home to raise Charlie. They were happy. Bobby went to D.C. to visit a few times, but Booth hadn't come out there yet. Bobby had heard about Sweets dying, but he had been unable to attend the funeral as Tara's mother had been unwell. He had heard from Jack that Booth had taken it very hard, and Jack was worried about how Booth was coping with it.

"You seem worried," Tara said, coming up beside him. Charlie was now examining a bug on the windowsill. A ladybug Bobby thought.

"I think I should get in touch with Booth," Bobby said. "I think he's going downhill."

"You don't think he would..." Tara trailed off. She met his eyes.

"If he was really upset, yea I think he might."

"You should call him. Right now."

"I will," Bobby nodded. He stood. In his heart, he knew his friend needed him.

 **Booth**

He hung up his phone, staring at it. Had he really just made a bet? Had he really just gotten himself a bookie? What was happening to him? His phone rang again, and he looked at it. He recognized Bobby's phone number. He watched it ring until it went to voicemail. He didn't want to talk to Bobby. Bobby had abandoned him. Bobby hadn't bothered to come when Sweets died. Bobby had a new, happy life. He didn't need Booth and his baggage. Booth didn't want to burden him either. He tucked his phone away and went back to the living room to find Brennan sitting on the couch.

"Are you all right?" she asked, noticing his face.

"Yea. I'm fine," he answered.

"I'm worried about you."

"Don't be. I'm fine."

"Booth, you just went through a hard case and gambled. I have a right to be worried," she pressed.

"I'm not going to gamble," he told her, lying. "I'm okay."

"I really hope so," she said, looking into his eyes. He leaned in to kiss her.

"I am completely, totally, utterly fine," he said. It was a good thing she couldn't read minds.

 **Bobby**

Booth didn't answer his phone. Bobby stared at his for a moment. He contemplated calling right back, but he didn't. Maybe he was busy. He looked over at Tara and Charlie, and he knew he'd never fall into the trap of gambling again. There was too much to lose, too much at stake. He looked back at the phone. He hoped Booth realized this himself too. Brennan and Christine needed him. Bobby set the phone down and went back to join his family. He'd try again tomorrow.

 **May 2015**

"I'm pregnant," Brennan said. Booth's eyes lit up.

"Seriously?!" he crowed. He rolled across the bed and jumped to his feet in front of her, pulling her into his arms and rocking her.

"I'm so happy," she smiled, hugging him back.

"This is so great!" Booth cheered. He kissed her.

"Have you spoken with Bobby at all?" she asked. "I'd love to tell them."

"I haven't really talked him, no," Booth said. "I think he's busy." Booth didn't tell her that Bobby had been trying to call him twice a week for the last two weeks, and Booth wasn't answering.

"Well, I hope you connect soon. I think he'd be excited too," Brennan smiled. She wondered why Booth hadn't been in touch with Bobby lately. She knew their moving away had been hard on him, but you could do long distance friendships. It wasn't hard if you didn't make it hard.

"Yea. I'll try calling later," Booth said, hoping she'd drop it. Then their phones rang. They had a new case.

 **Bobby**

"Do you think you should go out there?" Tara asked. She stood beside Bobby as he watched Charlie sleeping. He liked to do this because sometimes he couldn't stop marveling at the miracle child they had.

"I'll give him another week, and if he still doesn't answer, then I'm going out there," Bobby replied. "I think he's up to no good."

"I really hope he's not gambling," Tara said sadly. "That will break Temperance's heart."

"Yea, it will. And mine," Bobby sighed.

"Well, I know you'll bring him back around," Tara smiled. "Just like he brought you back."

"Yea. Let's hope so."

 **A Week Later**

"I paid your debt to Jimmy. All of it," Brennan said. Booth froze. He had been caught in his lie. She knew. Damn that Jimmy.

"W-what? You what? You paid Jimmy?"

"I need you to leave."

"No. No, no. Look, I'm sorry. It was a mistake. Just a mistake," Booth stuttered. "It was just one bet. Just one."

"No, it wasn't! Why are you still lying to me?!" Brennan cried.

"I'm not lying. Look, Bones...please, let me make this up to you, okay? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I messed up. I wasn't thinking. Please just hear me out on this. I love you."

"I don't believe you," Brennan said. "Not right now. Just go."

"Bones," Booth started.

"Get out of this house. Right now," Brennan ordered. Booth stared at her, his heart beginning to freak out.

"W-what?"

"Out. Get out. Grab whatever shit you need and get out," Brennan snapped. Booth waited a beat before turning to open the door and walk out. Brennan was left trembling in his wake.

 **Bobby**

"Hey, mate," Bobby said as he approached Jack, who was holding a sign that said "Manning" on it.

"Hey," Jack grinned. They hugged quickly.

"So good to see you," Bobby commented. "How are things?"

"Kids are growing like weeds, and Sue is officially a stay home mom now. Things are not the same at the office without you," Jack lamented.

"I'm sorry, mate."

"Don't be. You look well. Vermont was a good decision for you."

"Have you seen Booth?" Bobby asked, getting to the point of his visit.

"He finished a big case where he went underground to a gambling group," Jack said slowly. He met Bobby's eyes. They were both thinking about Bobby's undercover gambling game and how badly that went.

"Oh boy," Bobby sighed.

"Yea. I overheard Aubrey talking about some guy named Jimmy who went to collect Booth's debt when Booth was overseas working a case," Jack winced.

"Oh God," Bobby moaned. He remembered Jimmy. This was bad.

"Last I heard, Booth was just getting home yesterday," Jack said.

"If it's okay with you, can you swing by their house? So I can say hello?"

"Absolutely."

They chatted as they drove. Bobby was feeling increasingly nauseous as they approached Booth's house. It had an air of sadness hanging around it.

"Something's not right," Jack said, echoing Bobby's thoughts.

"I'll be right back," Bobby said.

"Sure," Jack nodded. He watched Bobby go up to the door.

"Bobby!" Brennan cried, hugging him tightly.

"Hey, look at you! You're glowing," Bobby grinned.

"I'm pregnant," she beamed.

"What?! That's great!" Bobby cried. "Congrats!"

"Thank you," she said, still smiling.

"So, where's the big guy?" Bobby asked. Her smile fell.

"He's...he's not here right now," Brennan answered.

"Oh, all right," Bobby nodded. "Do you know when he'll be back?"

"I don't. I'm not sure of anything right now," Brennan answered. Bobby knew that look in her eye. He'd seen it in Tara when he had relapsed.

"He gambled," Bobby said, making her flinch.

"How did you know?"

"It's in your eyes. What happened?"

"I don't even know. I mean, I do know. Sweets died and left a hole in all of our hearts, and he didn't deal with it, and he stupidly went undercover as a gambler for a case, and I think that's when he started gambling again."

"Where is he?"

"In an apartment. Here, I have the address," she said, writing it down for him and handing it over. He folded it and put it in his pocket.

"I'll go see him. I'll make sure he's going to meetings."

"What if he doesn't get better?" Brennan blurted out, looking at him. Bobby sighed.

"He will. I know him, and he'll do what it takes to get past this."

"I know you're right, but it was still scary having his bookie come here and threaten me," Brennan said.

"I'm sorry you had to experience that."

"I just want it to be over."

"It will be. I'll go see him and get him back on track. Our old Booth will be back before you know it," Bobby promised.

"Thanks, Bobby," Brennan said, a hint of a smile back. He turned to go back to the car, feeling like this could have been him if things had been different.

 **Booth**

He was staring at the wall. He figured he had ruined his life. He didn't know if Brennan would ever let him come back. He had blown it. Damn, how could he be so stupid?!

"Booth?" a voice called, along with knocking. Booth froze. He recognized that voice. What was he doing here? How did he know where to find him? He hesitated.

"Come on, I know you're in there," Bobby said. Sighing, Booth got up and went to the door.

"Hey," he said.

"What happened?" Bobby asked.

"You better come in," Booth gestured. Once inside, Booth spilled it all out. How he went to jail, how he lost Sweets, how he blamed himself for Sweets dying, how things snowballed from there, how he went undercover and got the buzz again, how he started placing bets...all of it. Bobby listened patiently.

"Are you going to meetings?" he asked once Booth was done.

"I'm going to my third one tonight," he answered.

"Let me come with you," Bobby said.

"All right."

...

Once the meeting was over, Booth headed for coffee with Bobby not far behind him.

"I think it would help if you shared," Bobby said.

"Just being here helps," Booth told him.

"Not really. You gotta work through some stuff."

"Come on. You've been my sponsor for years. You know me."

"I'm trying, Booth. I really am, but you and I both know that in order to heal anything, you gotta heal yourself. You gotta share," Bobby urged. Booth didn't respond. He knew Bobby was right.

"Next week, share," Bobby ordered.

"All right. Fine."

 **A Week Later**

Booth was still thinking about his conversation with Brennan, how she said it was too soon to talk about him coming home. It scared him. So much. Bobby was next to him, nudging him to get up, but he couldn't. He couldn't do it. After the meeting was over, the facilitator called on him.

"Thought you were gonna stand up tonight," he said.

"Well, so many did, and I didn't want the meeting to go long," Booth shrugged.

"We're all friends here. We've all screwed up," he went on. Bobby was nodding along with him. Booth wanted to smack him.

"I know that."

"You think that if you don't talk, it didn't happen?"

"No, of course not."

"Then, get it out in the open. You need to tell us what you did."

"I...I gotta go take care of something. Next time all right?" Booth said, getting up abruptly and heading to the door. Bobby was on his heels.

"Booth..."

"Don't start, okay? I appreciate that you're here and living with me and trying to help, but I don't need a lecture right now," Booth snapped. Bobby held up his hands.

"I can go if you want."

"No," Booth said, his defenses lowering. "No, it's not that. I just...I just can't talk about Sweets."

"I know it's hard, but you gotta. Look, do you remember when I relapsed? What you did to help me?"

"I remember," Booth nodded.

"Then let me help you," Bobby urged. They stood there, looking at each other.

"Next time," Booth said finally.

"I will personally march you up there," Bobby warned.

"Okay. Deal."

 **The Next Meeting**

Bobby watched as Booth stood up and went to the front. He knew his friend was struggling, but he knew this was going to help. He had been in touch with Tara, and she knew he was needed here and understood why he wasn't coming home right now. Bobby knew he'd have to go soon, but he wanted Booth to be better first. Living on his couch was starting to hurt his back, though.

"Hi, uh, I'm Seeley, and I have a gambling addiction."

It was like 2004 all over again. Bobby felt the flashback.

"I'm here today because I, uh, want to make things right. I want my life back. I've hurt a lot of people, especially my family. I put them in danger and betrayed them. I'm here to get a sense of resolution for that and to, uh, better understand myself."

Bobby nodded to keep him going. Booth spilled it all. He choked up a few times, but he kept going. At the end, he collapsed into the chair beside Bobby.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Yea. I do," Booth agreed. "Thanks for making me."

"Don't thank me. Just don't mess up again, all right? I don't think Brennan will tolerate it. She might shoot you."

"You're probably right," Booth laughed.

"Do you need me to stay?" Bobby asked.

"Nah. I'm good. You've got a wife and kid at home waiting for you. You belong there."

"I'm a phone call away, Booth."

"I know."

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"Then answer me when I call you, or I will call your wife," Bobby threatened.

"Okay, okay."

They grinned at each other.

"I'll leave in the morning," Bobby said.

"I'll miss you."

"Come visit me. Take a vacation. Get your head out of work for a while."

"I think...I think I might. I've been thinking about getting out of the game, you know? Like you did. Live a different life, one that's not so dangerous," Booth said. "I haven't brought it up with Bones yet, but I think with the new baby and all, it's a good idea."

"You're welcome to stay with us for a bit if you want," Bobby offered.

"I think I'll take you up on that," Booth smiled. They bumped fists.

"All right. Now, let's go get some coffee. Some real coffee. This stuff is horrible," Bobby winced. Laughing, they went to find their favorite cafe.

* * *

 **I am on a roll with the ending of this story, so I will post again in a day or two. I'm noticing not a lot of interest in it anymore, and I have other ideas I want to start, so thank you all for reading, and I hope you still leave a review. Just one chapter left!**


	14. Chapter 14

**June 2015**

Booth awoke next to Brennan, and he smiled. This was their first day of their new lives. No more FBI. No more Jeffersonian. Just him and Bones and Christine. Oh, and the baby. He looked at her baby bump. He couldn't believe how fortunate he was, that she forgave him and let him come back home. His head was back on straight. He wasn't ever going to jeopardize this again.

"Hi," she whispered, opening her eyes.

"Hey," he grinned.

"So what are we going to do today?"

"I have an idea," he replied.

 **Bobby**

He grabbed the phone as it rang, hoping it didn't wake up Charlie. Nap time was starting to be fazed out, and Bobby wanted to take advantage of every second the kid wasn't awake and pestering to play.

"Hello," he said, stubbing his toe on something hard. He mouthed a few choice words as he hopped up and down.

"Hey, it's me," Booth said. "You, uh, still good on your invite?"

"Hey! Yes! Of course!" Bobby exclaimed, rubbing his foot.

"Is it all right if we come, um, now?"

"Sure!"

"Is Tara all right with it?"

"She's great with it. I told her you were thinking about it."

"Okay, well, we'll see you in a few hours."

"Great. See you then."

"Bye."

"Bye."

"Who was that?" Tara asked, coming into the room.

"Booth. He, Temperance, and Christine are coming to visit," Bobby said.

"He took up on your offer," Tara smiled.

"Yes. I'm glad he did. Here, let me help you get ready for them," Bobby suggested. She handed him the laundry basket.

"You can start with that," she winked. He laughed and headed for the laundry room. Life was really, really good.

...

"I love this house," Brennan said to Tara as they sipped their water. Booth and Bobby were playing with the kids. Charlie was fascinated by Christine, and they had fun racing around and playing together.

"It is pretty great," Tara agreed. "How are things between you two?"

"They're getting better. It was hard at first, but I know he's a good man and he loves me. I couldn't ask for a better husband. I just wish he didn't have this...illness."

"I know. I struggled with it too, especially when Bobby relapsed, but he has been doing so well. He found a place to do meetings out here, and he has Booth."

"Yes, they do seem to be able to help one another," Brennan nodded.

"I know Bobby misses D.C. sometimes, but it's so much cleaner out here," Tara said.

"I do like it," Brennan agreed. "Although, taking Booth away from Parker is out of the question."

"Of course," Tara said. "But you're always welcome to visit."

"Thank you," Brennan smiled. They continued to watch their husbands playing with the kids. It was as if they were brothers, not just friends. Brennan knew that they needed one another, and she was very happy to know that Booth could rely on someone when he needed it and vice versa. She was glad about their decision to stop working their jobs. This was good for them.

 **October 2015**

"Booth is missing," Jack said over the phone. Bobby choked on his coffee.

"He's what?!"

"He's missing. It doesn't look good. It appears as though he's involved in a robbery."

"Not Booth. He's training newbies."

"Apparently not."

"You're sure?"

"Very sure. Bobby, there was a shootout. He's lost a lot of blood. He might not even be alive."

"Damn it. All right. I'm coming out there."

...

Brennan was beginning to feel as though her life was crashing down on her. Here was a charred body before her with all the signs pointing that it was Booth lying on her table. She felt very sick. Arastoo was not helping either. She felt badly for yelling at him, but she was not going to accept that this was her husband lying before her. The alarms went off, making her snap her head up to see Bobby running up the stairs to the platform. Cam swiped her card to make it stop.

"Is that him?" Bobby asked. "Is that Booth?" He looked shaken and upset.

"How did you find out?"

"Jack called me. It's all over the FBI. I got here as fast as I could. But I need you to answer the question, is that Booth on that slab?"

"I...I don't know for certain."

"All signs point to that it is," Arastoo cut in.

"For the last time, stop jumping to conclusions until we have evidence!" Brennan shouted. Arastoo cringed.

"Okay, so find the evidence," Bobby urged. "Please."

 **Booth**

He knew he was in too deep. He was hurting bad, but he knew what to do to fix himself. He hoped Brennan wasn't too upset or worried. He felt sick that his brother was dead. This whole thing was not going the way it was supposed to be going. He didn't even know if he'd get out of it alive.

 **The Next Day**

Booth was hiding from Pete, who kept saying he was a dead man. Highly unlikely, but sure, let the guy believe that. He opened the window in the room to make it look like he'd gone out that way. When Pete came through the door, he swore and headed for the window. Booth snuck up behind him and knocked him out.

"Not a dead man," Booth muttered. He hurried as fast as he could out the door and found Brennan racing towards him.

"Booth!" she cried, grabbing onto him. "I've got you." Jack and Bobby rushed up, Jack decked out in FBI gear and Bobby in his regular clothes but with a vest on.

"Hey, we've got you," Bobby said, seeing that Booth was badly wounded.

"Come on. Hospital time," Jack urged. They helped Booth into the ambulance. Brennan hopped in with him, and they were soon gone.

...

"Hey, mate," Bobby said as Booth opened his eyes. "You scared the hell out of me."

"I'm sorry," Booth smiled weakly.

"Sure you are. Was it all worth it?"

"I missed the rush."

"Yea. I do too sometimes, but I don't go get myself almost killed so I can feel the rush again," Bobby chastised.

"I said I'm sorry," Booth winced.

"So what are you saying? You're done being retired?"

"I think so. Brennan said she wants back in too. We shouldn't have quit. I don't know why we thought we could live a different life."

"It's not for everyone," Bobby shrugged.

"Do you miss it?"

"Like I said, sometimes. We're happy, though. I'm not coming back."

"That's too bad. We could start a team together."

"I know. Not this time, though."

"Will I ever be able to change your mind?" Booth asked. Bobby shook his head.

"Unfortunately not. We are looking into becoming foster parents actually. It's kind of a commitment."

"I see. Good for you guys."

"Yea. Tara's got the buzz for more kids, but since she's older, we're not taking that risk again. Fostering is the next best thing."

"Well, good luck to you."

"Thanks. You as well."

"So, you staying long?"

"Until you're out of here, yea."

"Good. Could you get me some real coffee?" Booth asked.

 **July 2016**

Bobby smiled as their new foster kid took in their house with awe. It was their third child, and even though it was difficult to see the last two leave and go back home, Tara and Bobby were glad they were doing this. Their new foster child was about six years old, and he was the sweetest thing. Bobby was already in love with him.

"Can I play outside, sir?" the boy asked.

"It's Bobby," Bobby replied. "And yes, you can. You live here now, remember?"

"Okay," the boy said, his eyes shining. His name was Joey. Bobby felt sad thinking about how Joey's parents had died. Joey had no other family, so he was brought to them. Their social worker had mentioned potential adoption, and Tara was excited. Hell, so was Bobby. Charlie was three and a half now, and he could use a playmate. His phone chimed, and he noticed he was getting a Facetime call from Jack.

"Hey, hey!" he cheered once he was connected. "What's going on?"

"Ah not much. Just wanted to see your pretty face," Jack teased.

"Hi, Jack!" Tara called, sticking her face into the camera.

"Hey, you! You look great!"

"So do you! Where's Sue?"

"Right here," Jack replied, moving the camera to show Sue sitting next to him.

"Hey!" Sue called, waving. The four of them chatted for a while about life and kids. Jack promised they would come visit very soon. Just as they ended the call, Bobby's phone rang.

"It's Booth," he said.

"I'll give you a minute," Tara said, moving to join Joey and Charlie outside.

"Hey, Booth," Bobby said.

"Hey. Wow what a week," Booth said, sighing hard. "We finally solved that puppeteer case."

"You did? That's great!"

"Yea. Bones got kidnapped by her old intern, Zack."

"Gormogon guy?" Bobby asked, surprised.

"Yea. Turns out he didn't kill the lobbyist after all. He couldn't even save himself from the guy trying to kill him. We're looking into it. Anyway, it was his therapist that was the killer. He was framing Zack."

"Geez. Lots of excitement going on out there."

"Yea, I guess. I just felt I needed a debrief."

"Well, you know I'm always here."

"Thanks, Bobby."

They talked more, and Bobby could tell that Booth really did need a debrief. It had been an emotional time for him. Bobby was glad that his friend knew he could reach out.

 **March 2017**

"Dad?"

Bobby looked up to see Joey standing there, holding a book.

"Yea?"

"Can you read to me?"

"Sure."

Bobby was thrilled that Joey had taken to calling them Mum and Dad so readily. It had taken him a few months, but eventually it just came out naturally. The adoption had gone through fairly fast since there was no family to contest it. Joey became their son in December, just before Christmas. Booth, Brennan, Christine, and Hank had come to visit around the holidays too, just before Brennan's father died. Bobby still felt terrible about that. He knew she struggled with his past, but they had become close again during the last few years.

"Bobby?" Tara said, coming in. He looked up at her.

"What's wrong?"

"The Jeffersonian blew up, and Booth and Temperance were inside."

 **Booth**

The ringing in his ears was deafening. The panic in his heart at not finding his wife was vast.

"Bones!" he screamed. Angela and Hodgins were helping as best as they could. "Bones!"

"Brennan!" Angela shouted.

"Dr. B!" Hodgins shrieked. They dug and dug until finally they found Brennan under some rubble.

"Oh my God," Booth said, pulling her out. "Are you okay? Come on. Open your eyes. Come on. Let me see you."

"Booth," she croaked, finally opening her eyes.

"I've got you," he said, holding her close. Hodgins and Angela watched, worried.

"I was looking at something," she said.

"It's not important," he soothed.

"Yes, it was. I can't remember it. I can't remember why it was important," Brennan said, getting anxious.

"It was something about Kovac," Hodgins offered. "You knew where to find him."

"What is it? Femur? Scapula? Ulna? Mandible?"

"I don't know what any of that means," Brennan said.

"Yes, you do," Angela urged. "They're bones."

"I know. I don't understand their significance."

"It's all right," Booth reassured her. "You'll figure it out later."

"No, there's something wrong with me," Brennan said. She locked eyes with Booth, and he could tell that yes, something was not right with his wife.

 **Bobby**

He rushed to the airport. He arrived in D.C. to find out that Booth was in his office. He rushed in.

"Bobby!" Booth said, standing up.

"Are you all right? Tara said the Jeffersonian blew up, and you were inside!" Bobby exclaimed. They hugged.

"I'm fine. Bones, well, she has some kind of contusion. She can't seem to remember how to do her work. It's scaring me, Bobby."

"Who did this?"

"Kovac. I killed his father years ago on a sniper mission."

"I remember."

"He tried to murder us."

"Where is he?"

"That's what we're trying to find out, but Bones can't remember what she learned about his location."

"It'll come back," Bobby said, his statement holding a question to it.

"I hope so," Booth sighed. "I really hope so."

 **Later**

"Where's Booth?" Bobby asked Jack, standing in front of his desk. "He's not in his office."

"Last I heard was he on his way out to a farm to get Kovac," Jack said.

"And you're sitting here?!" Bobby asked, outraged.

"I wasn't invited to the party," Jack said, spreading out his hands.

"But," Bobby spluttered.

"We're gonna just have to sit tight and hope for the best," Jack said. "It's Booth. He'll get him. He always does."

"I hope you're right," Bobby said, sitting down across from Jack. He felt very worried for his friend suddenly.

 **Hours Later**

Booth was grateful that Brennan remembered how to fix bones right when he needed her to. It was all over, and they were sitting on the bench in front of the Jeffersonian, reflecting.

"What's old is new again," Brennan noted.

"Yea. Looks like you're out of a job for a bit," Booth said.

"I'm just glad to be alive," she replied.

"We could go to Bobby's for a bit," Booth said.

"I'd like that," she smiled. They went through the stuff in the box, remembering each and every thing.

"The others are at the bar waiting for us," Booth said. "Ready to go?"

"Yea. I'm ready," she answered.

"I'll meet you there. I wanna go see Bobby quickly." He had called Bobby to let him know everything was all right. Bobby wanted to meet up before he went home.

"Sure."

They kissed, and Booth headed to the cafe where Bobby said he was waiting.

 **Booth & Bobby **

Bobby heard the bell chime as Booth came through the door.

"You made it," he grinned.

"Barely," Booth laughed.

"I'm glad you're all right. I'm glad it's over," Bobby said.

"Me too." Booth sat down across from him.

"Remember the first time we came here?"

"Yea, I do. You made me share why I was suddenly attending meetings," Booth said.

"It helped didn't it?"

"Sure did. Bobby, you saved my life."

"Ditto."

"What happens next?"

"Life, Booth, that's what happens next."

"Very philosophical," Booth teased. "Got anymore life stories to tell me?"

"I'm fresh out," Bobby smiled.

"You really did know how to talk for hours on end," Booth teased.

"Hey, you liked my stories," Bobby argued.

"I did. I'm just messing with you."

"So, what are you guys gonna do now?"

"Well, we were thinking of coming to see you. If that's okay."

"We'd love it."

Their coffee arrived, and Booth raised his cup.

"To the future."

"To the future," Bobby echoed, clinking his cup against Booth's. Thirteen years ago, he made a friend. Thirteen years ago, their lives were very different. Looking back now, they both could see that their friendship had saved them many times. As they chatted, Bobby couldn't help but smile. They had so much more ahead of them, and they'd be there for each other every step of the way. That's what friends were for. Things were finally settled down. The future looked good.

 **The End**

* * *

 **It feels so good to finish a story. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing. Until next time!**


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